Puerto Rico Joins Hawaii, Virgin Islands, Florida, Guam, Virginia and Others in Skyrocketing Tourism Growth Across US with Record Surge in Tourist Arrivals This Year: Everything You Need to Know

Puerto Rico has joined Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Florida, Guam, Virginia, and other U.S. destinations in experiencing skyrocketing tourism growth, with a record surge in tourist arrivals this year. The island’s continued success, alongside these other regions, can be attributed to a combination of strategic marketing efforts, unique cultural offerings, and major events like the FIFA World Cup and America 250 celebrations. As destinations across the U.S. see an uptick in tourism, Puerto Rico’s momentum is particularly impressive, with its luxury hotel openings and increased cruise traffic contributing significantly to its growth. This year, the island is poised to continue its remarkable recovery, attracting millions of travelers from around the world, further solidifying its place among the most popular U.S. tourist destinations.

A Blockbuster Year on the Horizon

The United States tourism industry is entering 2026 with cautious optimism, buoyed by a powerful slate of landmark events and a resilient domestic travel base. The U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) projects international arrivals to climb to 85 million this year — a 10.2% jump from 2025 — which would finally surpass pre-pandemic 2019 levels for the first time. Major catalysts include the FIFA World Cup 2026, co-hosted with Canada and Mexico, the Route 66 Centennial, and America 250 — the nation’s semiquincentennial celebration — all of which are expected to draw millions of additional visitors to host cities and historic destinations alike. Domestically, Americans continue to prioritize travel, with the average U.S. adult expecting to spend around $6,354 on travel in 2026 — a 12% increase from 2025 — and 68% of travelers reporting higher budgets than the previous year.

Puerto Rico: The Caribbean’s Hottest Comeback Kid

Puerto Rico is on a tear, and 2026 is shaping up to be a continuation of what Discover Puerto Rico CEO Jorge Pérez calls “an extraordinary moment” for the island. The territory notched a solid 5.5% growth in Q1 arrivals, with October’s 8.8% surge leading the charge. This momentum builds on a record-shattering 2025, when Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport welcomed over 6.8 million passenger arrivals — 3% more than the year before — and accommodation demand hit nearly 7.9 million room nights, an 8% annual increase. The island’s lodging sector generated $1.707 billion in revenue between January and October 2025, flirting with the historic $2 billion mark. The cruise industry is no less impressive, with passenger traffic expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels after more than $150 million in terminal modernization investments. Luxury hotel openings — including the $30 million renovation of Four Seasons Resort Puerto Rico and the new Hyatt Centric San Juan Isla Verde — are expanding the island’s upscale footprint. Tourism employment hit historic highs, with 102,600 jobs in leisure and hospitality registered by November 2025. Puerto Rico’s appeal spans Afro-Caribbean culture, world-class surfing, bioluminescent bays, and a gastronomy scene that’s capturing international attention, making it a destination far richer than its sun-and-sand reputation suggests.

Month	FY 2026	FY 2025	YOY Change
October	67.9K	62.4K	+8.8%
November	74.9K	70.5K	+6.2%
December	73.2K	71.8K	+1.9%
Q1 Total	216.0K	204.7K	+5.5%

Hawaii: The Aloha State Bets on Big Spenders Over Big Crowds

Hawaii’s numbers tell a more nuanced story than mere headcounts. The archipelago posted a healthy 6.8% growth in Q1 tourist arrivals for FY2026, with December delivering a particularly strong 8.9% bump. But here’s the real headline: Hawaii is increasingly winning on dollars per visitor, not just bodies through the door. Total visitor spending across the state hit $19.64 billion in the first 11 months of 2025, a 5.9% jump from the prior year, even as overall arrivals dipped slightly by 0.2%. In November 2025 alone, spending surged 15.9% to $1.77 billion despite 3.6% fewer arrivals, because visitors stayed longer and spent more per day — $271 on average, up 15.2%. The tourism economy, valued at $31.3 billion in 2025, is projected to grow at a 4.6% compound annual rate through 2035. Korean visitors have been a particular bright spot, with arrivals jumping 38.4% in November and spending rising by an identical margin. Hawaii’s pivot toward quality over quantity is deliberate, reflecting a state that’s keenly aware that overtourism threatens the very natural beauty drawing visitors in the first place. The islands are leveraging eco-tourism, cultural experiences, and luxury offerings to attract travelers willing to pay a premium for paradise.

Month	FY 2026	FY 2025	YOY Change
October	165K	155K	+6.5%
November	150K	143K	+4.9%
December	171K	157K	+8.9%
Q1 Total	486.0K	455.0K	+6.8%

US Virgin Islands: Island Time Meets Cruise-Ship Prime Time

The U.S. Virgin Islands may have posted the most modest Q1 growth on this list at 2.1%, but scratch beneath the surface and the story gets far more compelling. The territory’s total visitor count hit 1,202,008 in 2025, smashing a record that had stood since 2016 and marking a 7% jump powered by a 13.9% boom in cruise passenger arrivals. St. Thomas and St. Croix together welcomed nearly 1.83 million cruise passengers and almost one million airline passengers throughout the year. October’s slight 1.4% dip was a blip, quickly reversed by a strong finish to the quarter. Looking ahead, the Department of Tourism projects airline arrivals to reach 927,000 and cruise volume to hit 1.96 million in 2026, buoyed by fleet expansions from major cruise lines and a projected 21% increase in cruise passenger arrivals for the 2025–2026 season. The territory’s brand continues to punch above its weight, with Trunk Bay on St. John and Magens Bay on St. Thomas named among the Caribbean’s top 10 beaches in TripAdvisor’s 2025 Travelers’ Choice Awards. St. Croix earned Caribbean Culinary Destination of the Year honors, while the islands snagged multiple accolades from Travel + Leisure and USA TODAY. Strategic sports partnerships with the New York Jets, Chicago Cubs, and Boston Red Sox are expanding the USVI’s visibility across core U.S. markets in ways traditional advertising simply can’t match.

Month	FY 2026	FY 2025	YOY Change
October	49.6K	50.3K	-1.4%
November	72.8K	69.3K	+5.1%
December	89.8K	88.3K	+1.7%
Q1 Total	212.2K	207.9K	+2.1%

Florida: The Unstoppable Sunshine Machine

When you’re already at the top, even small gains are massive in absolute numbers. Florida’s 2.2% Q1 growth translates to roughly 100,000 additional visitors on a base of 4.5 million — that’s a small city’s worth of tourists pouring into the Sunshine State every quarter. The state shattered every record in the book in 2024, welcoming 143 million visitors — 130.65 million domestic, 8.94 million overseas, and 3.41 million Canadian — generating $133.6 billion in economic impact and saving the average Florida household $1,730 in taxes. The first quarter of 2025 kept the pedal down with 41.2 million visitors, and Q3 2025 added another 34.3 million, pushing the nine-month total to 109.782 million. Overseas travel grew 3.2% in Q3, with Brazilian visitors climbing nearly 5%, as VISIT FLORIDA doubled down on Latin American and European marketing. The one soft spot? Canadian travel dropped 15.5% through the first nine months of 2025 amid U.S.-Canada tensions. But Florida’s sheer diversity — Miami’s nightlife, Orlando’s theme parks, the Keys’ island magic, Tampa’s cultural renaissance — ensures that when one market softens, others step up. Airport enplanements are surging at secondary hubs like Punta Gorda (+23.6%) and St. Petersburg-Clearwater (+7.7%), evidence that visitors are fanning out beyond the traditional gateway cities.

Month	FY 2026	FY 2025	YOY Change
October	1.4M	1.4M	0.0%
November	1.5M	1.4M	+7.1%
December	1.7M	1.7M	0.0%
Q1 Total	4.6M	4.5M	+2.2%

Guam: The Pacific Powerhouse Nobody Saw Coming

Guam isn’t just recovering — it’s roaring back. The tiny Western Pacific island posted a staggering 24.9% year-over-year surge in tourist arrivals during the first fiscal quarter of 2026, the strongest growth among all regions tracked here. December alone saw a jaw-dropping 32.4% spike, turning the holiday season into an absolute bonanza for the island’s hotels and beachfront bars. The turnaround is fueled largely by a massive influx of Korean and Japanese travelers, with Korean arrivals climbing 16.6% and Japanese visitors soaring 28.8% in recent months. The Guam Visitors Bureau has rolled out aggressive marketing campaigns, including the “One Guam Roadshow 2026” across Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, to keep that Japanese pipeline flowing. New airline routes, including Philippine Airlines’ direct service between Guam and Cebu, are opening fresh corridors of demand. With hotel capacity still underutilized and plans to reopen shuttered properties and build new ones, the island is gearing up for what economists say could be its strongest tourism year since before the pandemic. The Guam Visitors Bureau has laid out three forecast scenarios for FY2026, with the optimistic case projecting over one million arrivals — a symbolic milestone that once seemed unthinkable.

Month	FY 2026	FY 2025	YOY Change
October	90.4K	79.0K	+14.4%
November	102K	80.9K	+26.1%
December	128K	96.7K	+32.4%
Q1 Total	320.4K	256.6K	+24.9%

Virginia: History’s Hidden Gem Steps Into the Spotlight

Virginia may be the smallest player on this list by raw numbers, but it’s delivering the second-highest growth rate at 7.5% — and for good reason. The Commonwealth is riding a wave of historic momentum, quite literally. Virginia’s tourism industry generated a record $35.1 billion in visitor spending in 2024, a 5.4% jump from 2023, while overnight visitation climbed past 44.7 million to surpass pre-pandemic levels for the first time. Travelers dropped $96 million per day in the state, driving $2.5 billion in tax revenue and saving every Virginia household roughly $990 a year. But the real catalyst for 2026 is the VA250 celebration — the nationwide commemoration of America’s 250th birthday — and no state has a better story to tell than the one that gave the nation George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and the Revolutionary War’s decisive battles. The Virginia 250 Passport program has launched across 70 historic sites and museums, from Colonial Williamsburg to Mount Vernon to Monticello, turning the state into a year-long history pilgrimage. Emerging hotspots like the Danville-Pittsylvania County region, dubbed “Visit SoSi,” saw visitor spending explode 23.5% in 2024 to $275.2 million, making it the fastest-growing tourism destination in the entire state. Virginia is proving that you don’t need theme parks or tropical beaches to draw a crowd — sometimes, a compelling story and a well-executed strategy are more than enough.

Month	FY 2026	FY 2025	YOY Change
October	2.4K	2.3K	+4.3%
November	2.3K	2.1K	+9.5%
December	2.5K	2.3K	+8.7%
Q1 Total	7.2K	6.7K	+7.5%

Policy Headwinds and the International Slowdown

Still, the road ahead is not without turbulence. International arrivals fell 5.4% in 2025, even as global travel rose 4%, and the U.S. share of worldwide international tourism has slipped from 8.4% in 1996 to just 4.9% in 2024. Tightened visa requirements, expanded travel bans under Presidential Proclamation 10998, and new social media screening protocols have raised concern among industry leaders that foreign travelers may choose alternative destinations. The U.S. Travel Association has warned of a potential “chilling effect” on inbound visitation, particularly from markets in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, and a notable 15.5% drop in Canadian visitors has already been felt across border-state economies.

Domestic Muscle Powers Through

Despite these headwinds, the domestic tourism engine continues to fire on all cylinders. States and territories — from Florida’s record-shattering 143 million visitors in 2024 to Guam’s 25% year-over-year surge this fiscal year — are proving that America’s internal travel appetite is more than compensating for softer international inflows. Secondary and tertiary markets are capturing a growing share of bookings as travelers explore alternatives to overcrowded, high-cost hubs, while remote work flexibility continues to blur traditional peak seasons and spread demand year-round. With the U.S. travel and tourism market valued at $182.34 billion in 2024 and projected to reach $456.21 billion by 2030, the industry’s long-term trajectory remains firmly upward — the question is whether policy headwinds will slow the climb or whether blockbuster events and domestic strength will power through.

Tourism Growth Insights from CBP.gov Highlight U.S. Destinations’ Success

The data and insights provided in this article, sourced from CBP.gov, highlight the remarkable tourism growth in Puerto Rico and other U.S. destinations such as Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, Florida, Guam, and Virginia. According to CBP.gov, Puerto Rico has seen a record surge in tourist arrivals this year, supported by major events, strategic marketing initiatives, and the island’s unique cultural offerings. This growth is reflective of a broader trend across the U.S., with various regions benefiting from increased international and domestic travel. CBP.gov’s figures underscore the strength of U.S. tourism, further solidifying Puerto Rico’s position as a leading destination for global travelers.

Puerto Rico has joined Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, Florida, Guam, Virginia, and others in experiencing skyrocketing tourism growth, with a record surge in arrivals this year. Key factors include major events, strategic marketing, and unique cultural offerings attracting more visitors.

Conclusion

Puerto Rico has joined Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Florida, Guam, Virginia, and other U.S. destinations in experiencing unprecedented tourism growth, with a record surge in tourist arrivals this year. This remarkable rise can be attributed to major events, strategic marketing, and the island’s unique appeal, which has captivated travelers from around the world. As these regions continue to experience booming tourism, Puerto Rico’s ongoing success exemplifies how diverse attractions and targeted efforts can significantly boost visitor numbers, positioning it as a top travel destination for the future.

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