St. Maarten records an astonishing 51% surge in U.S. air travel in September 2026

GREAT BAY--St. Maarten recorded a remarkable 51.2 percent increase in air travel by U.S. citizens in September 2026, adding nearly 6,000 trips compared with the same month last year and significantly outperforming the wider Caribbean, where American air travel grew by just 2.5 percent. The feat is astonishing considering that the month of September is typically the island's slowest tourist month. It also lends credence to industry reports that St. Maarten did not experience a typical "slow season" in 2026.

The figures were published by Tourism Analytics on October 13, based on the latest data from the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Air Travel Statistics Program. They place St. Maarten among the Caribbean destinations recording the largest increases in American air traffic during September, a month when international travel by U.S. citizens returned to growth following six consecutive months of declines.

According to Tourism Analytics, St. Maarten registered 5,954 more U.S. citizen air trips in September than in September 2025, representing growth of 51.2 percent. This compares with an overall increase of approximately 13,140 trips, or 2.5 percent, for the Caribbean.

The performance was particularly notable because several other established Caribbean destinations experienced declining U.S. traffic during the same period.

The Bahamas recorded the largest absolute increase, gaining 13,614 trips, or 35.6 percent, while Aruba added 4,448 trips, an increase of 7 percent.

St. Maarten's 51.2 percent growth was stronger in percentage terms than both destinations, although the Bahamas recorded the largest numerical gain. The September figures are part of a broader positive trend for St. Maarten during 2026.

According to the year-to-date analysis, the country recorded 71,501 additional U.S. citizen air trips during the first nine months of the year compared with the corresponding period in 2025.

That increase was among the largest absolute gains reported for Caribbean destinations. The Dominican Republic recorded 84,981 additional U.S. trips through September, followed by St. Maarten with 71,501, the Bahamas with 45,047 and Aruba with 38,067.

The figures suggest that St. Maarten has been attracting a larger share of U.S. international air traffic at a time when overall Caribbean performance has been uneven.

For the island's tourism industry, the increase is a potentially encouraging indicator of demand from the United States, an important source market for St. Maarten's hospitality and tourism businesses.

However, the figures do not establish how many of the additional travelers stayed in hotels or other accommodations, how long they remained on the island or how much they spent.

Caribbean Performance Remains Uneven

Despite the increases recorded by St. Maarten, the Bahamas and Aruba, the Caribbean's overall performance has been affected by substantial declines in travel to Jamaica.

In September, Jamaica recorded 22,769 fewer U.S. citizen air trips than in the same month of 2025, a decline of 21.9 percent.

The Dominican Republic also experienced a modest September decrease of 1 percent, equivalent to 1,960 fewer trips, despite recording an increase over the first nine months of the year.

The Bahamas' September gain of 13,614 trips was itself greater than the entire Caribbean's net increase of approximately 13,140 trips, demonstrating how growth in some destinations was offset by losses elsewhere.

For the first nine months of 2026, U.S. citizen air travel to the Caribbean declined by 1.8 percent overall.

Tourism Analytics reported that Jamaica accounted for a reduction of 404,719 trips during that period, significantly affecting the regional total.

Excluding Jamaica, U.S. air travel to Caribbean destinations actually increased by 3.3 percent through September.

The contrast highlights the different conditions facing individual Caribbean destinations, even as they compete within the same major tourism source market.

American International Travel Returns to Growth

The latest Caribbean figures were recorded during a month when overall international air travel by U.S. citizens increased for the first time following six consecutive monthly declines.

American international air trips rose 2.5 percent in September compared with September 2025.

Europe continued to account for the largest share of international air travel by U.S. citizens, representing 44.8 percent of trips and recording growth of 3.9 percent.

Travel to Asia increased by 4.7 percent, while U.S. air trips to Mexico declined by 5 percent.

The Caribbean accounted for 9.5 percent of U.S. international air trips in September, unchanged from the same month a year earlier.

The region therefore maintained its share of American international air travel even as some destinations recorded substantial individual gains and others experienced declines.

What the Figures Mean for St. Maarten

St. Maarten's September performance stands out because its growth rate was more than twenty times the percentage increase recorded for the Caribbean overall.

The additional 71,501 U.S. air trips recorded through September also suggest that the improvement was not confined to a single month.

For the tourism sector, sustained increases in air traffic can create opportunities for accommodation providers, restaurants, transportation operators, attractions and other businesses that depend on visitors.

Nevertheless, the available figures measure U.S. citizen departures on international flight segments from the United States. They should not be treated as identical to St. Maarten's official stayover visitor arrivals.

Because Princess Juliana International Airport also serves as a gateway to neighboring destinations, including St. Barths and Anguilla, some passengers recorded on flights to St. Maarten may be connecting onward rather than spending their vacation on the island.

The U.S. data also excludes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands from the international Caribbean comparison because travel from the United States to those territories is classified as domestic.

Determining the full economic benefit of St. Maarten's increase would therefore require additional information about stayover arrivals, transit passengers, accommodation occupancy, visitor expenditure and tourism revenue.

Even with those qualifications, the September figures demonstrate that St. Maarten is registering substantial growth in U.S. citizen air traffic while the wider Caribbean market continues to experience mixed results.

The challenge for St. Maarten's tourism sector will be to determine how much of that additional traffic translates into visitors staying on the island and increased spending within the local economy.

With nearly 6,000 additional U.S. air trips in September and more than 71,500 additional trips recorded during the first nine months of 2026, the country has emerged as one of the Caribbean's notable growth destinations in the latest American outbound air travel statistics.

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