Caribbean Hotels Keep Breaking Records, As 2026 Boom Continues
It wasn’t on the bingo cards of most prognosticators in the travel industry — but the Caribbean hotel industry is having an historically good year so far in 2026, according to new data provided to Caribbean Journal from analytics firm STR.
Regional hotel occupancy was up 5.5 percent in May to 66.7 percent, the fifth straight month of positive growth to start the year.
That was accompanied by a 4.1 percent increase in average daily rates to $332.28 and a 10 percent jump in revenue per available room to $221.52.
They’re not just striking numbers — they’re record-breaking, too, with the highest occupancy in the region ever in May.
It’s hard to point to one individual factor, although the massive jump in Canadian tourism to the Caribbean with the shutdown of Cuba travel is a rather compelling place to start (something we reported on more deeply here).
For the year, hotel occupancy in the region is at a very robust 74.1 percent, up 4.6 percent over the same period in 2025, according to STR’s data. Rates are up 6.2 percent in the same period, while revenues are up 11 percent so far in 2026.
It’s a very healthy sign for the region after what was a decidedly mixed bag in 2025 — and one that could portend an even bigger second half for the islands of the Caribbean.
STR’s data surveyed 2,057 hotels comprising some 264,067 rooms across the wider region.
Alexander Britell is the founder and editor-in-chief of Caribbean Journal and one of the top experts on Caribbean travel worldwide, with decades of on-the-ground travel to the region and comprehensive knowledge of the entire Caribbean Basin.
