Largely off the radar of U.S. tourists even a few years ago, the island boasts majestic volcanoes, lush rainforests and a new international airport with few flights.
Fast forward a few years, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines suddenly has a moment, with the Caribbean experiencing the fastest growth in tourist arrivals, and an even greater increase in arrivals from the United States.
New Caribbean Hotspot
Latest figures provided to Caribbean Daily by the Caribbean Tourism Organization show that the “main” island of the beach-filled archipelago, which is home to the only international airport, will see visitor numbers grow by 20.5% in the first three quarters of 2025, with a total of 85,688 visitors to date.
This is also higher than any other island destination in the region, and by a considerable margin.
But the story of the United States is bigger: during the same period, the number of American tourists increased by 49.5%, with the total number of tourists from the United States alone reaching 42,942 (as you can see, only about half of the total visitors to the island).
So what’s the secret? Well, it’s not exactly rocket science.
The sandal effect is real
last year, sandals Sandals resort opens in St. Vincent and the Grenadinesthe resort has become history.
Even before it officially launches, airlines are already lining up to launch flights to the island
We call this phenomenon the “Sandal Effect” – basically, Sandals comes into a destination and its super-successful formula instantly instills confidence in the airlines – for the airlines, they suddenly feel comfortable adding more flights because they know the hotel alone can help fill their seats. Then there’s the spillover: new flights mean new energy, Sandals’ expert marketing builds the brand for the entire island, and investors start thinking about new Caribbean hotspots.
This is happening across the Caribbean – most recently in Curaçao, where the debut of Sandals Royal Curacao in 2022 has led to an ongoing tourism boom for the Dutch Caribbean island.
not just st vincent
Yes, St. Vincent itself is the largest island in the archipelago and the only airport to receive flights from places like the United States and Canada.
But there is much more to this destination than St. Vincent, which despite all the buzz is still relatively lacking in terms of hotel offerings beyond Sandals (however, this is changing with the launch of new hotels) The beach has also been planned.)
This means that there are many small islands throughout the archipelago, several of which are accessible by small regional aircraft, such as the excellent SVG Air, which I have flown countless times.
Bequia, for example, is one of the most charming little islands I’ve been to in the Caribbean. It’s a fun, easy-going place that almost feels like a cross between a New England fishing town and a Caribbean island, with some great little hotels, run by Bequia Beach Hotel and The Liming (the latter is actually part of the Hilton Small Luxury Hotels).
Then there is the unique Canouan, where there is an almost secret place Mandarin Oriental Hotel The resort has actually been open since 2017 (previously it was an independent hotel called the Pink Beach Club). Canouan Island is also home to the Caribbean’s only Soho House hotel (rooms from $768). There’s even a Tom Fazio-designed golf course on the island.
Then there’s Mustique, an ultra-private island beloved by British royalty and celebrities, with a collection of rare luxury villas and a hotel called Cotton House (don’t miss Basil’s Bar, which actually has a sister establishment on the mainland in the heart of St. Vincent’s capital, Kingston.
Travel to St. Vincent
A big change from a few years ago, you can now fly to St. Vincent from a number of major cities, including London on Virgin Atlantic; New York on JetBlue, American Airlines, and Caribbean Airlines; Miami and Charlotte on American Airlines; Toronto on Air Canada Rouge; and most recently (a week and a half ago), Delta Air Lines launched nonstop flights from Atlanta to St. Vincent.
What about the price? Miami-St. Vincent (code SVD) will cost around $500 in early 2026; the cheapest option is to fly from New York to St. Vincent with JetBlue — you can find flights on Google Flights for as low as $270 round-trip.