Which Caribbean islands are open only to vaccinated travelers?
Adina Eigen took her first trip to the British Virgin Islands in December 2020. Around that time, it had one of the world’s lowest Covid rates among islands that had reopened.
The 42-year-old mother of four from Sands Point, New York, has since returned twice, checking infection rates — and vaccination statistics — before her trips.
“The staff at Oil Nut Bay is entirely vaccinated,” she said of the luxury resort where her family stayed. “The property is not accessible by land and very closely monitored by sea.”
The British Virgin Islands are part of a rising number of Caribbean destinations that attract vaccinated travelers — while proving less attractive to unvaccinated people.
Travelers to the British Virgin Islands
| Vaccinated | Partially vaccinated | Unvaccinated | |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 2021 |
78% | 6% | 16% |
| July 2021 |
88% | 2% | 10% |
| BVI’s Central Statistics Office |
Along with Barbados and St. Lucia, the British Virgin Islands allow unvaccinated travelers to enter only if they quarantine for a duration. Data shows few are willing to do so, especially when they have other options in the Caribbean that don’t require quarantines or vaccine certificates.
The relative strictness or leniency of entrance requirements in the Caribbean is reshaping travel trends in the region. Unvaccinated travelers are gravitating to the islands that will let them in, while the vaccinated want places that keep the unimmunized out.
Vaccinated travelers only
At least seven Caribbean nations and territories have announced mandatory vaccination policies for incoming adult travelers — Anguilla, Grenada, St. Barts, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, as well as the Cayman Islands.
The Cayman Islands plan to admit vaccinated travelers from Sept. 9 to Oct. 13 during the third phase of its structured reopening. Thereafter, the territory may let unvaccinated travelers enter if they quarantine for 14 days.
People have more interest in traveling to islands where there are vaccination protocols in place.
Eric Bamberger
Zeta Global
Safety is cited as the main reason behind the requirement, but such policies may also be good for business.
Marketing technology company Zeta Global analyzed site traffic to the main tourism websites of several islands after they announced vaccinated-only policies, said Eric Bamberger, senior vice president of hospitality at Zeta Global.
Following the announcements, travel interest increased to all of them:
- Grenada — up 25%
- St. Kitts and Nevis — up 26%
- Cayman Islands — up 44%
- Anguilla — up 59%
The data showed two trends emerging in the Caribbean, said Bamberger.
“People have more interest in traveling to islands where there are vaccination protocols in place,” he said. “And their interest among other islands without vaccination protocols is waning.”
Data from travel marketing company Adara indicates enthusiasm for vaccinated-only entrance policies. Searches and bookings spiked when Trinidad and Tobago announced it was reopening only to immunized travelers —…
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