Americans Are Flocking to a Caribbean Island Known For Its Rainforests, Sailing — and a Trending New All-Inclusive Resort
It was a place that was largely off the radar of American travelers even a few years ago, an island with an imposing volcano, lush rainforests and a new international airport with few flights.
Fast forward a few years and St Vincent and the Grenadines is suddenly having a moment, with the fastest growing tourism arrivals in the Caribbean and an even bigger jump in travel from the United States.
The New Caribbean Hotspot
The “main” island of the beach-filled archipelago, home to its only international airport, is seeing a 20.5 percent increase in tourist arrivals through the first three quarters of 2025, with 85,688 stay over visitors so far, according to new data provided to Caribbean Journal by the Caribbean Tourism Organization.
That’s higher than any other island destination in the region, by a rather wide margin, too.
But the American story is even bigger: American travel is up 49.5 percent In the same period — with a total of 42,942 travelers from the United States alone (and, as you can see, accounting for just about half of all arrivals to the island).
So what’s the secret? Well, it’s not exactly rocket science.
The Sandals Effect Is Real
Last year, Sandals opened its Sandals St Vincent and the Grenadines all-inclusive resort, and the resort has been history.
Even before the official debut, airlines were lining up to launch service to the island
It’s a phenomenon we’ve called the Sandals Effect — basically, Sandals comes into a destination, and with its uber-successful formula immediately instills confidence — that translates to airlines, who suddenly feel comfortable bringing in more flights, knowing that the hotel alone will help fill up their seats. And then there’s a spillover effect: new flights mean new energy, Sandals’ expert marketing brands the island as a whole, and investors start to consider a new Caribbean hotspot.
It’s happened all over the Caribbean — most recently in Curacao, where the 2022 debut of Sandals Royal Curacao led to what has been a sustained tourism boom in the Dutch Caribbean island.
More Than Just St Vincent
Yes, St Vincent itself is the biggest island in the archipelago, and it’s home the only airport receiving flights from places like the United States and Canada.
But there’s far more to this destination than just St Vincent, which, for all of the buzz, is still relatively lacking when it comes to hotel product beyond the Sandals (that is changing, however, with a new Beaches planned as well.)
That means little islands across the archipelago, with several accessible via small regional craft like the excellent SVG Air, which I’ve flown countless times.
Bequia, for example, is one of the most charming little islands I’ve been to in the Caribbean, a fun, easygoing place that almost feels like a hybrid of a New England fishing town and a Caribbean island, with some great little hotels led by the Bequia Beach Hotel and The Liming (the latter is actually part of Hilton’s Small Luxury Hotels).
Then there’s the exclusive Canouan, home to a an almost-secret Mandarin Oriental resort that’s actually been open since 2017 (it was an independent hotel before that called the Pink Sands Club). Canouan is also home to the only Soho House hotel in the Caribbea (rooms from $768). The island even has a Tom Fazio designed golf course.
Then there’s Mustique, the ultra-private island that’s a favorite of British royals and celebs alike that has a rarefied collection of luxe villas and a hotel called the Cotton House (and don’t miss Basil’s Bar, which actually has a sister location on the mainland in the heart of St Vincent’s capital, Kingstown.
Getting to St Vincent
In a massive change from a few years ago, you can now fly from a number of major cities to the island of St Vincent, including London on Virgin Atlantic; New York on JetBlue, American Airlines and Caribbean Airlines; Miami and Charlotte on American; Toronto on Air Canada Rouge; and, most recently (as in, a week and a half ago), Delta’s nonstop service from Atlanta to St Vincent.
So what about prices? Miami-St Vincent (the code is SVD) will run about $500 in early 2026; the cheapest option is flying JetBlue from New York to St Vincent — you can find fares as low as $270 roundtrip on Google Flights.
