The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) welcomed record-breaking customer numbers in 2024, reaffirming its standing as a number one tourism vacation spot within the Caribbean.
Passenger arrivals peaked on Dec. 28, setting a brand new single-day document of 4,606 guests, surpassing the earlier document set in March 2024. This milestone additionally contributed to a weekly passenger arrival document of over 24,000, a 5.92% enhance from the prior excessive.
“As a vacation spot, we proceed to discover, elevate and enhance, which helps our aim of remaining a premier Caribbean vacation spot,” stated Joseph Boschulte, Commissioner of the U.S. Virgin Islands Division of Tourism.
Air journey into the USVI soared in 2024, with Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas and Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix recording a mixed whole of 932,265 passenger arrivals. This determine not solely surpassed the earlier peak reached through the COVID-19 pandemic but additionally marked a 16.5% year-over-year enhance.
March 2024 noticed the very best month-to-month arrival whole with 106,026 guests. All year long, the Territory benefited from the enlargement of airline providers, together with new or returning routes from American Airways, Cape Air, Delta Air Strains, Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit Airways, Solar Nation, and United Airways.
Cruise tourism additionally surged, with 1,770,922 cruise passengers visiting the islands, representing a 9.8% enhance over 2023. The increase was attributed to maiden voyages from a number of main cruise traces, together with Scarlet Girl, Icon of the Seas, Disney Treasure, Explora I and II, Solar Princess, Emerald Azzurra, Superstar Apex, and Rhapsody of the Seas.
Commissioner Boschulte highlighted the division’s forward-looking methods for 2025, which embody enhanced promoting, social media engagement, public relations and business partnerships to maintain the Territory’s attraction to each new and returning travellers.
“We’ll proceed to push inventive advertising initiatives to maintain the U.S. Virgin Islands high of thoughts for international audiences,” Boschulte added.
For extra data, go to www.visitusvi.com.
Images: Holland America Line (which is a best choice for the Caribbean)