Visa reports an increase in cross-border transactions across Latin America and the Caribbean during Holy Week 2026
Miami, FL, April 20, 2026 - Visa, a global leader in digital payments, announced today that cross-border transactions across all Visa payment methods during Holy Week 2026 in Latin America and the Caribbean, held from March 29 to April 5, increased by almost 20% compared to last year’s Easter holiday. This growth signals strong confidence in tourism, with digital payments enabling frictionless consumer experiences across the region’s most popular destinations.
According to data from Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA), other key insights include:
- Top destinations: México, Brazil, and Puerto Rico were the destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean that received the highest volume of Visa cross-border transactions during this Holy Week 2026.
- International tourism: Travelers from United States, Canada and Argentina led the surge in cross-border transactions in the region during the period.
- Outbound travel trends: VCA’s data also showed close to a 10% increase in cross-border transactions from Latin Americans travelling abroad their countries in Holy Week 2026. United States, Spain and Brazil were the top destinations for Latin Americans this Holy Week.
- Priority on experiences: For domestic and cross-border transactions, categories such as hotel, travel expenses, car rentals and airlines experienced an increase in transactions of close to 5% compared to Holy Week 2025. Dining recorded growth of nearly 10%, highlighting the increasing trend on experiences during vacations.¹
- The contactless travel standard: Adoption of contactless payments continued to grow, showing a 35% increase compared to the previous Holy Week. This trend confirms that travelers prioritize a frictionless journey, choosing speed and security at every touchpoint—from local transit to dining and boutique shopping.
“Our Holy Week 2026 analysis confirms that travel and experiential-driven spending have become top priorities for Latin Americans, both at home and internationally—and Visa is at the heart of this journey,” said Javier Vazquez, Head of Visa Consulting & Analytics for Visa Latin America and the Caribbean. “By providing a secure, robust and global digital payment infrastructure, we are redefining the travel experience, empowering consumers to explore with confidence while supporting economic activity across the region.”
VCA’s consulting team analyzed data related to consumer transactions that took place through VisaNet on Holy Week 2026 (March 29 to April 5) vs. Holy Week 2025 (April 13 –20, 2025), excluding Visa Direct-related transactions. These growth percentages are related to transactions in US dollars and local currency. The countries analyzed included Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.
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1 Excludes domestic transactions in Mexico