Caribbean leads global travel destinations in 2023

Travel analytics firm, ForwardKeys has announced that the Caribbean is the leading global travel destination for 2023 based on recent data.

The data draws from air tickets issued up to September 26, scheduled flight arrivals, and bookings for the remainder of the year.

The benchmark for comparison is set as 2019, the last year that represented the pre-COVID-19 norm for international travel.

Despite a 25 percent decline in global air traffic in 2023 when compared to the peak levels of 2019, the Caribbean leads the list of the world's most frequented countries.

Seven of the top ten destinations in this ranking feature a Caribbean coastline, with the Dominican Republic leading the way with a projected 14 percent increase in visitors arriving by air in 2023 compared to 2019.

Costa Rica and Aruba follow with an 11 percent increase, while Jamaica and Puerto Rico anticipate a nine percent increase in visitors.

Colombia and Mexico are set to have a five percent increase, with The Bahamas and Greece not far behind at three percent. Saudi Arabia maintains steady numbers, receiving the same number of flight arrivals as in 2019.

According to ForwardKeys, the Caribbean's enduring success can be attributed to the appeal of its prime beach holiday destinations and its proximity to the U.S. outbound travel market.