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Jamaica es el principal destino de viajes para los británicos en Las Antillas. / Jamaica is the number-one travel destination for Britons in the West indies.

Cultural patterns are the main reason for Britons to choose destinations where they can enjoy a sunny and relaxing atmosphere, as well as experiencing “a different culture”

The United Kingdom is one of the globe’s largest outbound travel markets, holding on to the fourth or fifth place worldwide for several years, both in terms of its visitor volume and total spending. It is the second biggest outbound market in the European Union, trailing just behind Germany.
The enjoyment of their annual vacation is by far one of the main ways that characterizes the use of spare time among UK residents. The general trend has led to the fragmentation of these into two or more periods during the year.
In selecting the destination for their vacations, income level plays a major role. In this sense, families below-average incomes are likelier to spend their holidays in their own country, so staycation levels are higher in Wales, Northern Ireland and the North East. The greater the family income, the more interest there is for vacations outside the country. This is particularly significant in the London, East and South East regions.
In 2017, Brits made 72.8 million visits overseas, which accounted for 3 percent uptick over the previous year.
The main travel destinations for the British are Europe and America. Destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean are traditionally popular for package travelers, while independent travelers visit mostly the United States and Canada.
The trendsetter hinges on taking two or more vacations a year, plus a few more days for short escapades. The long-haul market also shows a dramatic growth, particularly with the increase in low-cost flights to medium- and long-haul destinations.
Cultural patterns are the main reason for the British to choose a particular destination for both holidays and vacations, where they can enjoy a sunny and relaxing atmosphere, as well as experiencing “a different culture.” Those who take trips on holidays are much more demanding in terms of offers, prices and the safety of the destination they are heading to.

The Caribbean as a Travel Destination for the UK
The British tourist, who travels to Mexico (539,000 in 2017), does it preferably to Cancun (429,000 in 2017), Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen and Huatulco, especially as couples and as individual sunbathers. Barbados, Jamaica, Cuba and the Dominican Republic top the list of island destinations British travelers like the most when it comes to the Caribbean.
Barbados is by and large one of the most important destinations in the Caribbean for high-income tourists, reeling in over 1.3 million visitors in 2017 and boasting a large accommodation network perched mainly on the west and south of the island, where international hotel companies operate. This is one of the small Caribbean destinations that welcomes more airborne tourists, hailing mostly from England (36.2%), followed by the United States (25%) and Canada (12.6%).
Jamaica is the number-one travel destination for Britons in the West indies. In 2017, the country nabbed 217,647 travelers from the United Kingdom. The tourist-oriented delivery of sun, beach and natural ecological parks that the island has to offer comes together with other travel niches, such as health, sport and community tourism, coupled with multi-themed cultural activities and events. In the all-inclusive segment, the island nation counts on resorts, luxury villas and medium-income accommodations, clustered in half a dozen world-class travel circuits: Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Negril, Port Antonio, Kingston and the South Coast.
This Caribbean destination is no doubt one of the top travel destinations for Caribbean cruises. It’s so much so, that in 2017 it welcomed 1.9 million cruise passengers.
The layout and dynamics of the tourism sector in the Dominican Republic are articulated in the form of tourist packages with hotel options of different categories, with a total capacity of 78,209 hotel rooms and 34 world-class golf courses, figures that exceed those in other countries of the Caribbean region. In 2017, the Dominican Republic received 6.2 million foreign visitors, with 177,534 coming from the United Kingdom. Its main outbound markets are the United States and Canada, which account for 47 percent of the visitor inflow. However, in the case of Europe, travelers from Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Spain stand for 14 percent of international arrivals.
Cuba is one of the main Caribbean travel destinations. The largest island nation grabbed 4.7 million international visitors in 2017. Of these visitors, 205,727 came from the United Kingdom, being one of its top outbound markets.
For the British market, the tourist offer this island has to offer relies on sun-and-beach vacation packages, linked to culture, history and nature, shored up by an infrastructure of accommodation exceeding 69,000 hotel guestrooms and 10 international airports distributed throughout the country. Seven international marinas and two dozen diving centers add up to this tourist infrastructure.
It is the Caribbean tourist destination with the largest number of beaches, historic-heritage sites and protected natural areas, let alone being a nation marked by a multitude of cultural expressions, whose well-defined authenticity tells Cuba apart in Latin America.
Direct Foreign Investment zeroes in mostly on the tourism sector and in the hotel and real estate development. As many as 21 foreign companies from eleven countries run 124 hotels with a grand total of 45,333 rooms, which account for 64.8 percent of the country’s hotel rooms. However, no British company is currently involved in investment projects related to the tourism sector.