The U.S. Virgin Islands presented its tourism performance update and 2026–2027 outlook at the Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2026, highlighting sustained visitor growth, expanded air connectivity, and new hospitality investments across its three main islands: St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix.

During the briefing, Assistant Commissioner of Tourism Alani Henneman reported that the destination outperformed both 2024 and 2025 during Q1 2026, maintaining strong growth momentum despite challenges in airlift capacity.

A key focus was air connectivity, including the impact of reduced capacity following the Spirit Airlines adjustments. However, officials emphasized the introduction of new services such as Southwest Airlines and the upcoming launch of Breeze Airways from Tampa in December 2026, which is expected to stabilize and support future visitor flows.

The destination reported double-digit growth across key performance indicators, with peak weekend arrivals reaching up to 23,000 visitors and strong overall demand across all islands.

On the development side, the presentation highlighted new and upgraded hospitality projects, including the Hampton by Hilton in St. Thomas, renovations at Hotel 1829, expanded visitor experiences in St. John, and new investments in St. Croix such as the acquisition of Carambola and planned airport-adjacent hotel developments.

Officials also emphasized the diversification of tourism products, including culture, festivals, cruise tourism, sports travel, and family experiences, reinforcing the islands’ multi-segment appeal.

The U.S. Virgin Islands concluded that its growth strategy for 2026–2027 will continue to rely on airlift expansion, infrastructure development, and strengthened inter-island and regional connectivity.