Montreal, Toronto, Quebec City, Winnipeg, and Cancun are poised to enhance their current roles in the Canadian outbound tourism network in 2026. New and expanded sun links help channel Canadian demand towards the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Mexico.
Official tourism and air travel data confirm that all three destination countries count Canada among their top source markets. This means that each new nonstop flight has a direct impact on visitor volumes, alongside local employment creation and foreign-exchange earnings throughout the wider Caribbean and Mexico region.
The Dominican Republic continues to break tourism records, welcoming more than 11 million visitors in 2024, according to official tourism authority data. This figure is expected to increase by another 1 million arrivals in 2025, reaching approximately 12 million visitors, with 2026 projections reflecting sustained growth. Authorities report that Canada is the second-largest source market after the United States, accounting for nearly 18% of total arrivals.
This share is underpinned by strong air connectivity from the major Canadian cities mentioned, linking coastal hubs such as Puerto Plata and other resort regions.
In this context, additional summer capacity from Montreal and Toronto to Puerto Plata and Samaná directly supports the Dominican Republic’s strategy to diversify seasonality and reduce dependence on winter-only tourism flows. Increased lift from Canada helps spread demand throughout the year. This approach sustains employment in hotels, excursions, and transportation, while also strengthening Cuba’s position as one of the Caribbean’s leading tourism destinations.
Cuba’s official and analytical tourism statistics confirm that Canada remains its most important foreign market. In 2024, Canada accounted for nearly 860,000 visitors, representing more than 60% of international arrivals in recent years, according to Cuban tourism authorities and industry analysis. Despite this, total visitor numbers remain below pre-pandemic peaks.
Canadian leisure travellers continue to anchor demand for resort areas such as Cayo Coco, which depend heavily on charter and scheduled air services from Canadian gateways.
