Caribbean Travel Advisor

Virtuoso travel advisors in Latin America and the Caribbean are entering 2026 with the strongest optimism levels of any region in the global luxury travel network, according to new data shared during the Virtuoso Latin America and Caribbean Forum held March 2–4 in Lima, Peru.

The annual gathering brought together more than 170 agency owners, managers and preferred partners from across the region at the Real InterContinental Lima Miraflores, with sessions focused on business strategy, technology and emerging travel trends shaping the luxury sector.

The latest edition of Hotel Spotlight heads to Puerto Rico, where the Fairmont El San Juan Hotel is one of Puerto Rico’s most iconic resort addresses, pairing 388 rooms and suites with a full-service casino, 4 pools, direct access to Isla Verde Beach, and one of the most active nightlife programs in San Juan.

Located in Isla Verde, about 5 minutes from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the resort delivers immediate beach access and a self-contained entertainment environment that keeps guests on property well into the night.

Atlantis Historic Inn is a boutique, family-owned hotel on Barbados’ Atlantic-facing East Coast, positioned for clients seeking a quiet stay removed from the island’s resort corridors. The property trades swimmable Caribbean waters for dramatic ocean views, steady trade winds and proximity to surfing at Soup Bowl. It is best positioned as a refined, low-key retreat rather than a traditional beach resort. The story here is charm, rather than pomp.

The Property at a Glance
The hotel dates back to the 1800s and overlooks Tent Bay on the rugged East Coast of Barbados. The hotel offers a limited inventory of elegant guest rooms and ocean-facing suites, designed with breezy verandas and uninterrupted Atlantic views. Amenities include an on-site swimming pool and a well-known restaurant that draws both guests and locals, particularly for its Sunday Barbadian buffet (the food is, in our experience, extremely good). The hotel is independently owned and operated, with a focus on intimate service and heritage character.

At The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, the defining story has always been the service.

Seven Mile Beach is beautiful. The rooms are refined. The spa is newly transformed. But what consistently separates this resort from its competitors is the precision and consistency of its hospitality. Returning guests are remembered. Preferences are noted and quietly executed. The experience feels intuitive rather than procedural.

After 75 years, Liberty Travel was rebranded to Envoyage, a brand that Christina Pedroni, executive vice president and general manager for Envoyage U.S., said isn’t tied to a particular business model of physical travel agencies like Liberty Travel was and “instead stands for every journey and every traveler.”

Now, more than one year into the transition, Pedroni gave an update on how the move is resonating with advisors, what Caribbean islands are hot right now and how advisors can prepare for the impending competition with artificial intelligence.

Jamaica is reinforcing one of its most important trade relationships through a large-scale volunteer initiative involving 1,000 travel advisors from Apple Leisure Group (ALG), a move tourism leaders say strengthens both destination advocacy and national recovery efforts.

The advisors signed up to participate in community-based volunteer projects across the island, contributing time and skills in support of local communities as part of ALG’s ongoing engagement with the destination. The initiative underscores Jamaica’s longstanding partnership with the North American travel, hospitality and leisure management group, which remains one of the island’s most influential distribution partners.

Our Hotel Spotlight column is an in-depth guide to hotels in the Caribbean for travel advisors. The latest edition heads to Negril. 

Rockhouse Hotel is a cliffside boutique property on Negril’s West End, set above the water on a stretch of limestone rock with direct sea access. It’s one of the most venerable high-end small hotels in Jamaica, known for its authentic, sleek rooms, strong repeat clientele, and a distinctly Jamaican look and feel. This is not a beach resort. The experience is about swimming and snorkeling off the rocks, sunsets, privacy, and a very specific West End atmosphere, about the hip vibes of Negril, about finding serenity. 

Jamaica is heading into a critical spring travel season after a challenging few months, and advisors are fielding one central question from clients: is the island really ready? To get clarity from the ground, we spoke with Eric Fandek of Delta Vacations, who has visited Jamaica multiple times since Hurricane Melissa and has been working closely with hotel partners, local teams and the Jamaica Tourism Board throughout the recovery.

In this conversation, Fandek shares what he’s seeing firsthand across the island, how Delta Vacations is guiding advisors through client concerns, and why Jamaica is positioning itself as a strong, value-driven option for spring break and beyond.

What Advisors Should Know First
Sandy Lane is the defining luxury resort in Barbados and one of the most recognized hotels in the Caribbean, with a reputation built on privacy, precision service, and long-standing relationships with repeat guests. This is a property advisors reach for when the brief calls for discretion, consistency, and an experience that feels deeply established rather than trend-driven, the reason it’s a favorite of British royals and celebs the world over.

It’s old-school luxury, and the kind of glamour and grandeur that luxury travelers associate with Barbados. 

As the luxury travel industry continues to shift toward deeper purpose, stronger regional expertise, and more intentional partnerships, ÉPICA Travel Show 2026 is emerging as one of the most important curated events focused on Latin America and the Caribbean. With its next edition set for Barranquilla in 2026, ÉPICA is positioning itself as a high-value meeting point for advisors who specialize in experiential, regenerative, and culturally grounded travel.

Now entering its final confirmation stage, the show has revealed a growing roster of exhibitors and hosted buyers that reflects both depth and selectivity, signaling why advisors are paying close attention.

The St. Kitts Tourism Authority has officially launched its new St. Kitts Travel Advisor Board, a strategic partnership designed to deepen collaboration with the global travel trade and sharpen the destination’s competitive positioning in the Caribbean.

The newly formed board brings together a select group of experienced travel advisors from key source markets, tasked with providing ongoing market intelligence, product feedback, and frontline insight drawn directly from their work with today’s travelers. The initiative reflects a broader push by St. Kitts to align destination strategy more closely with the advisors who influence purchasing decisions and shape client perceptions on a daily basis.

The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority recently welcomed its U.S. Travel Advisory Board to Antigua for an immersive, on-island retreat designed to deepen advisor knowledge, strengthen trade relationships, and align future U.S. market strategy.

Led by Dean Fenton, U.S. Director for the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, the visit marked the final in-destination meeting for the current Advisory Board ahead of the appointment of a new committee in March. The retreat forms part of ABTA’s broader effort to reinforce destination awareness, sharpen trade engagement, and support increased bookings through advisor advocacy.

As advisors begin mapping out 2026 group, incentive, and executive travel, InterContinental Dominica Cabrits Resort and Spa is positioning itself as a strong Caribbean option for planners looking to move beyond traditional meeting destinations.

The resort has introduced a new “Boardroom & Beyond” group offer, designed specifically for incentive trips, corporate retreats, and executive meetings that want meaningful setting as much as functional meeting space. The offer is now available for bookings made through March 31, 2026, with event dates running through November 30, 2026.

The International Association of Destination Wedding Professionals will bring its Love Caribbean event series to Jamaica next spring, hosting the Love Caribbean – Jamaica Edition from May 11 to May 14, 2026, on the island’s west coast in Green Island.

The program will take place at Princess Grand Jamaica and Princess Senses The Mangrove, with destination support from the Jamaica Tourist Board.

Grand Bahama is leaning into the travel advisor channel as it looks to convert renewed interest into bookings, hosting a group of top-selling Florida-based advisors on a multi-day familiarization trip designed to deepen product knowledge and support increased airlift to the island.

The visit was coordinated by the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation as part of its ongoing strategy to strengthen international awareness of Grand Bahama and drive incremental travel demand to the island and the wider Bahamas. Ministry officials view travel advisors as a critical link between destination recovery efforts and sustained booking growth, particularly in key U.S. source markets.

Advisors are preparing for a battle with artificial intelligence in 2026 and beyond, as one the most common trends reported by Caribbean travel specialists heading into the new year involves efforts to upgrade technology to compete against robots.

From a slew of agencies switching to new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to a new appreciation of advisor-related certification, advisors are looking to start the new year by making sure they have everything they need to yet again show that the human touch outweighs auto-generated travel tools.

It’s the biggest thing in luxury travel right now: a major spike in demand for inclusive, immersive experiences among travelers.

Karen Whitt, vice president of sales and marketing for The Hartling Group, a long-standing hotel development company based in Turks and Caicos, said many guests of Hartling hotels are clamoring for experiences, a niche that was quiet for a few years and now appears to be on the rise again.  

Grenada has some of the Caribbean’s top luxury hotel options. And now the destination is looking to make a deeper push into that market — particularly with the travel trade.

Grenada made its first appearance this month at the International Luxury Travel Market Cannes, a move that signals where the tri-island destination is aiming next—and how it wants to be sold.

Ocean Hotels Barbados is rolling out a new incentive designed to help travel advisors lock in 2026 Caribbean business early, with a limited-time Peaks Offer now open for reservations across three of the group’s most in-demand properties.

The PEAKS26 offer applies to stays in 2026 at Sea Breeze Beach House, O2 Beach Club & Spa, and The Rockley, giving advisors access to deeply discounted rates and priority availability during a key booking window that runs through Feb. 9, 2026.