Once again our survey provides fascinating insights into what is impacting the decisions of financiers and investors in the Caribbean hospitality industry.
Geopolitics features heavily in this year’s survey. Just as our survey was closing, a major conflict in the Middle East broke out. Last year, US tariffs were announced shortly after the closing of our survey. Both events act as reminders that the Caribbean tourism industry is not immune from the impact of geopolitical events. If there were any doubts in this regard, they were surely erased by the events of January 2026, when US military operations in Venezuela resulted in extensive regional travel disruptions.
There is substantial value in capturing, as our survey does, the underlying sentiment of respondents prior to these disruptions because such sentiments tend to prevail, whilst knee-jerk reactions to disruptive events are often short lived.
“In summary, whilst the Caribbean’s reputation as a safe haven in troubled times certainly remains true, there is a recognition that it will not be entirely immune from the effects of disruptive geopolitical events
Artificial Intelligence (‘’AI’’) is another subject featured extensively in our survey. We have all heard about AI and how dramatically and quickly it is changing the world as we know it. However, no-one knows just how extensive and how quick those changes will be. Our survey gives some definition to how AI will impact the Caribbean tourism industry. It is reassuring to know that in this most human of industries, there is still a critical role for human content and a human touch. We explore the boundaries of where AI will play a role and where humans retain control.
Other main messages from our survey include, but are not restricted to, the following:
- The fundamentals of the Caribbean tourism industry are sound.
- Financiers and investors are, however, taking a slightly more conservative approach.
- Confidence levels have steadied and are in line with 10 year averages.
- The real estate market remains strong with a gradual movement towards maintaining values rather than continued growth.
- The Caribbean continues to be considered a safe haven in troubled times.
- Challenges to conducting business in the region remain.
- The Caribbean hospitality industry continues to evolve and adapt to changing circumstances.
There are many other highlights but let us stop there as we want to allow you to read the survey for yourself and arrive at your own conclusions on its findings.
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