Members of the Anguilla Tourist Board (ATB) touched down in Canada this week to share some exciting news: the small island will be extending its runway to enable direct international flights in the next few years.
Currently, travellers to the Caribbean island fly to St. Martin and then they board a 25-minute ferry to Anguilla. Kimberly King, the chief marketing officer at the ATB, arrived in Toronto this week to reveal the good news.
“One of the big reasons why we're here is to really be able to support those flights that are going to be coming in within two-three years,” said King in an interview with Open Jaw. “Anguilla is executing an airport master plan so the first phase of that was a passenger terminal, which is set to be done by fall this year. We’re also extending the runway just over 6,000 feet, which is supposed to happen in 2026-27.”
“What we want to do is have a presence here in-market so that we can start building up relationships so that we can facilitate co-op marketing initiatives,” said King. “You can’t really do that in 2026 or 2027 when the flights are taking off, you have to start fuelling those relationships now.”
Once this masterplan is completed, there will be direct flights from Toronto and Montreal to Anguilla. King mentioned that they’re in talks with large airlines such as Air Canada and WestJet.
The presentation also conveyed the 2024 success of Anguilla’s “Exclusively Yours” campaign, which drove a 25.2 percent increase in stayover arrivals compared to 2023, marking the highest June stayover arrivals in the past 30 years. July 2024 saw a 20.3 percent increase in stayover arrivals compared to 2023, also the highest for July in the last 30 years.
“In 2023, the Canadian market share was just about five to seven percent. My expectation in the next two years based on all the work we’re doing, it will ideally get to the double digits of 10 percent. We have seen incremental growth in those numbers, but obviously if you don’t have any presence in markets or don’t make investments, you’re not going to see that growth so that’s why we’re pushing our presence and investments.”
Anguilla, in the eastern Caribbean Sea, is a British overseas territory. It is the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles and lies about 12 miles (19 km) north of the island of Saint Martin and 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Saint Kitts. It boasts white-sand beaches, crystal-clear waters and vibrant reefs offering spectacular snorkeling, glass-bottomed kayaking, and sailing experiences.
“When you get to Anguilla, you feel as if you have transcended to a completely different place,” said King. “There are no all-inclusives, there are no mega highrises, there are no cruise ships so you don’t feel like you’re bombarded by commercialized tourism. It’s very authentic.”
While the island isn’t overrun by all-inclusives, Four Seasons and Belmond Cap Juluca are popular Anguilla hotels. Both properties will be opening new restaurants and lounges. The improvements and upgrades come in the wake of the Cap Juluca’s 5-star recognition from the 2025 Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards – joining the Four Seasons (5-star), Aurora Anguilla (4-star), QHotel (4-star), and Zemi (highly recommended).
“I love Anguilla,” said Shari Silverstein, a travel consultant with TravelEdge. “I got married at a little property that was at the exact location where the Four Seasons is now. I have pictures of me on the beach in my bathing suit when I was on my honeymoon. I just love the island. And once these direct flights launch, that will change the island because a lot of people don’t want to fly to a location if they can’t fly direct.”
Anguilla is also in the initial stages of developing a Travel Advisor Program, which will empower travel agents to better understand and share Anguilla’s appeal through closer collaboration with the ATB.
