The Caribbean Tourism Organization wants more visitors from the United Kingdom and continental Europe in 2027. A Caribbean Journal report published on November 13, 2026 says the organisation’s UK and Europe chapter plans more destination roadshows, consumer marketing, and outreach to airlines and tour operators. The plan follows a strong showing at World Travel Market in London and a closed-door roundtable held the same week.
The World Travel Market presence
World Travel Market London ran from November 3 to 5. The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) says it built its largest pavilion there in about two decades. Seven tourism boards and seven commercial partners exhibited together in the pavilion. The destinations in it were Anguilla, Aruba, Grenada, Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tobago.
Seven other CTO member destinations had their own stands elsewhere on the floor: The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Guyana, Jamaica and Saint Lucia. In other words, the region was represented both as a shared pavilion and through individual destination presences, which is how it has typically been presented at large trade shows.
Florian Valmy-Devillers, director of business development for the CTO Chapter UK and Europe, is quoted as saying the goal is to “translate the Caribbean’s collective voice into greater commercial influence.” That phrase captures the organisation’s argument: individual islands are small markets, and speaking together gives them more weight with airlines, tour operators and distributors.
What the plan for 2027 includes
According to the report, the 2027 plan has four strands: more roadshows, consumer campaigns, media outreach and trade training. The report says there will be added emphasis on airlines, tour operators and travel distributors. Those are the businesses that decide how many seats and packages are available, so a push on that side of the market is a push on capacity rather than only on awareness.
The report does not name any airlines, and it does not provide visitor figures or spending data for the European market. We are therefore not in a position to say how many Europeans visit the Caribbean now, or what the target is. If you need market numbers, the CTO and individual national tourism boards publish their own arrivals statistics, and our report on Caribbean stayover growth slowing to 1.9 percent as cruise visits hit a record shows the regional picture for the first half of 2026.
The London roundtable and the research paper
The report says a November 5 roundtable in London brought together about 30 Caribbean tourism ministers, tourism directors and industry leaders. Amadeus presented research on European traveller behaviour, and Travelzoo compared European and U.S. travellers. The topics discussed included interest in local culture, tourism that spends more with local businesses, and preparing for climate-related disruption.
Out of that discussion, the CTO is working with the consulting firm ICF on a paper about changing European travel preferences. The paper is meant to recommend what destinations should promote in Europe and where they should invest. It has not been published, so its conclusions are not known. The themes listed, local culture and local spending, suggest an emphasis on experiences beyond the resort, which fits the approach several islands have taken in recent campaigns.
What this means for travellers
For a traveller, a trade-show campaign does not change a booking today. The practical effects, if the plan works, would arrive over time: new or restored airline routes, more tour operator packages, and more marketing aimed at European visitors. Some of that has already begun. British Airways, for example, launched a new London route to Barbados, which we covered in British Airways Launches New Barbados Route From London.
If you are planning a Caribbean trip from Europe, a few habits remain useful whatever the marketing says. Compare flight options and whether a package or separate booking suits you; our guide on separate tickets or one booking explains the risk on connections. Check entry requirements for each island you plan to visit, because they vary and have been changing, and read official guidance through our guide to travel advice levels.
The islands highlighted in the pavilion also offer plenty to do away from the resort. Our guides to things to do in Aruba, things to do in Barbados and things to do in St. Kitts and Nevis show what that looks like in practice.
What to watch
The signals that would show the push is working are concrete: announced routes from British and European airports, tour operator brochures that add new destinations, and published figures on European arrivals once the CTO and national boards release them. Until then, this is a statement of intent from the region’s tourism body, not a change in what you can book. We will report new routes and policy changes as they are confirmed by airlines and governments.
Source: Caribbean Journal, The Caribbean Is Looking to Europe for More Visitors in 2027 (November 13, 2026).