Anguilla Tourism Hits Record High In 2026

THE VALLEY, Anguilla  — Anguilla welcomed nearly 82,000 stayover visitors in the first half of 2026, a 19.9 percent jump over the same period last year, as the Caribbean island posted record-breaking tourism numbers in each of its first six months.

Figures from the Anguilla Statistics Department show stayover arrivals climbed from 68,287 between January and June 2025 to 81,907 this year, an increase of 13,620 visitors. The growth followed the island’s strongest first quarter on record, with 46,691 stayover visitors, up 24.6 percent year over year, and a second quarter that brought another 35,216 visitors, a 14.3 percent rise. June alone set a monthly record with 11,067 stayover arrivals, up 13 percent from June 2025.

The United States remained Anguilla’s dominant source market, accounting for 60,415 visitors, or 73.8 percent of all stayover arrivals, during the first half of the year. That share rose to 79 percent in June, when 8,746 American visitors arrived on the island.

Day-trippers also surged. Anguilla recorded 15,771 excursionists in June, a 71.5 percent increase from 9,194 the previous June. Combined with stayover visitors, total arrivals for the first half of 2026 reached 171,143, up 34.9 percent from 126,841 during the same period in 2025.

Tourism Minister Cardigan Connor said the momentum from the first quarter carried through the middle of the year. “Stayover growth is especially important because its benefits reach accommodations, restaurants, transportation providers, tour operators, retailers and stakeholders across our communities,” Connor said. He credited the Anguilla Tourist Board, led by Director of Tourism Jameel Rochester, along with tourism workers and industry partners, for sustaining the growth.

The record arrivals coincide with Anguilla strengthening its position in the luxury travel market. At Virtuoso Travel Week 2026 in Las Vegas, the island ranked No. 1 among Caribbean destinations and No. 3 among countries worldwide for festive travel, defined by Virtuoso as the period between Dec. 15 and Jan. 7. Anguilla’s West End also placed No. 8 among individual festive destinations globally.

Connor, who represents West End, said the recognition reflected the island’s accommodations, cuisine, beaches and service. “This recognition is also a win for the entire island,” he said. “It strengthens our commitment to growing tourism responsibly while protecting the character, hospitality and sense of place that set Anguilla apart.”