– SVG emerging as the destination to watch in the Caribbean with record-breaking growth rate – 

 Kingstown, St. Vincent – The multi-island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is emerging as the destination to watch in the Caribbean with a record-breaking growth rate in stay over arrivals.

Up some 26 percent from its previous year on year numbers, the destination for the first time reached and surpassed 100,000 visitors, while also recording a 39 per cent increase over 2019, one of the country’s best years prior to the global health pandemic.

Compared to its destination peers in the region, SVG has exhibited the highest average growth in stayover arrivals. The growth rate of the industry averaged an estimated 31% over the last decade in total arrivals surpassing a long-term average in the range of 7 – 9% annually. Given the relatively early stages of the country’s tourism development such high growth is expected to continue into the medium to long-term.

Tourism Minister Carlos James attributes the destination’s strong growth performance to a number of factors, primarily a sharp increase in airlift, with four new carriers added in Q4 of 2024; a burgeoning yachting and cruise sector; growing commitment by travel advisors, and increased hotel development and expansion such as the new Sandals St Vincent and the Grenadines Resort, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, La Vue Hotel and Mayah’s Suite among others.

Among the new non-stop routes from North America in 2024 were weekly American Airlines JFK, New York and Charlotte flights and twice-weekly JetBlue Airways flights.

Plans to keep this momentum going, include additional room stock through the 250 room Marriott Hotel, for which construction is expected to commence in this year.

A remarkable year

 In addition to its success in visitor arrivals, the destination achieved various accolades in 2024 including the World Travel Awards’ Best Nature Destination, and Bequia was listed on CNN Travel’s ‘Best Places to Travel in 2025’.