US action in Venezuela dominated interest on our sister brand World of Cruising in January. But data suggests demand is holding firm

It’s fair to say that 2026 began with a bang. Just days into the new year, while many were still enjoying the tail end of the festive break, US President Donald Trump had already orchestrated and carried out the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

Ordinarily, this would not have featured in a Market Watch column. However, the US military operation required the temporary closure of parts of Caribbean airspace in the early hours of 3 January, bringing the story closer to home.

Almost immediately, reports began circulating of cancelled and delayed flights to and from the Caribbean. Travellers were understandably concerned, questioning whether their itineraries would be affected and what this meant for their holidays.

In response, the World of Cruising editorial team moved quickly to cover the situation, explaining what had happened and outlining the likely implications for Caribbean cruises. The resulting article struck a chord. It became, by some margin, our most-read piece of January, attracting thousands of views and widespread sharing.

Interestingly, from a trade perspective, despite heightened attention and clear consumer concern, our search data shows little evidence that demand for the Caribbean has been dented.

When comparing year-on-year figures, the share of searches for Caribbean sailings is slightly higher, standing at 21 per cent in early 2026 compared with 18 per cent during the same period last year. Overall, the Caribbean remains the second most popular destination on the website after the Mediterranean.

This resilience is echoed beyond our own platform. Search behaviour points in the same direction, with Google Trends showing comparable levels of interest in the Caribbean in January 2026 and 2025. Geopolitical uncertainty is clearly on cruisers’ minds, but it is not automatically changing booking behaviour.

Instead, prospective passengers appear willing to assess the situation before altering plans. This suggests that, in a fragile geopolitical landscape, keeping consumers informed and communicating clearly about developing situations is essential.