ST. JOHN’S, Antigua — The future of Caribbean tourism was in focus at the Caribbean Travel Forum 2026 last week in Antigua, hosted by the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) as part of this year’s Caribbean Travel Marketplace.

CTM 2026 brought together 500+ delegates from across the Caribbean, North America, Europe and Latin America for meetings, networking events and strategic tourism discussions focused on the future of Caribbean travel and sustainable tourism growth.

Hoteliers, tourism officials, airlines, travel advisors, destination representatives and distribution partners taking part in the Forum identified five themes influencing the region’s tourism competitiveness and long-term growth …

. The shift from prioritizing visitor volume to long-term value and profitability

. The growing importance of connectivity and airlift

. Challenges created by regional fragmentation

. Rising pressure from distribution costs and third-party intermediaries

. The need for stronger tourism data to support more informed commercial and policy decisions

Participants called for a fundamental shift in how Caribbean tourism performance is measured, moving beyond arrival counts toward broader measures of visitor value, including spend per night, on-island yield, environmental and social impact, and visitor experience metrics.

The ABTA’s Kyle Christian, Tameka Wharton, Jordanna Lawrence and Shamoi Richards

There’s also a need for stronger regional alignment on airlift strategy, destination marketing, and demand coordination, says Caribbean tourism reps. They’re looking for more consistent regional tourism data too, and stronger information-sharing to give stakeholders, from national tourism organizations to independent hoteliers, better visibility into visitor value, seasonality, segment performance, and cruise-to-stayover conversion.

The CHTA says insights and recommendations gathered during the Forum help guide future activities and areas of focus, including practical industry strategies, stronger regional alignment, and deeper public-private sector collaboration.

“The conversations at this year’s Forum demonstrated that the Caribbean hospitality and tourism industry is increasingly focused not just on growing tourism, but on growing it smarter, more sustainably, and with greater long-term value for the region,” said CHTA President, Sanovnik Destang.

Plenty of Caribbean destinations had positive news to share at this year’s CTM. The Discover Dominica Authority (DDA) showcased Dominica’s continued tourism growth, with total visitor arrivals increasing by an average of 15% in 2025, rising from 432,989 in 2024 to 496,635 visitors, driven by continued growth in both stayover and cruise arrivals.

Saint Kitts and Nevis highlighted major developments shaping the future of the twin-island federation, from Nevis’ growing positioning as a leader in barefoot luxury, wellness, sustainability, and culinary tourism, to St. Kitts’ continued focus on culture, music, gastronomy, and authentic visitor experiences.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment, Charles H. Fernández along with the ABTA’s CEO, Colin C. James, highlighted a powerful start to the year. Antigua and Barbuda recorded 110,832 stay-over arrivals in Q1 2026, compared to 103,843 in the same period in 2025, representing a 6.7% year-over-year increase.

The 45th edition of Caribbean Travel Marketplace will take place in Barbados, May 18 – 21, 2027.

For more Caribbean tourism highlights, check out our coverage of the One Caribbean event in Toronto.

Lead image caption: Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment, Charles Fernandez (centre), with Antigua and Barbuda tourism officials and industry partners, welcome delegates to Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2026 at the American University of Antigua (Photo courtesy ABTA; all other photos courtesy Michelle Zimmer)