How Much Was IShowSpeed’s Caribbean Tour Worth To The Region?

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. May 13, 2026: US-born, YouTube superstar IShowSpeed has wrapped up an ambitious 15-country tour of the Caribbean, generating more than more 40 million views across his livestreams and delivering what could amount to millions of dollars in earned media value for the region. IShowSpeed’s Caribbean tour generated enormous visibility, but questions remain about view authenticity and whether youthful audiences will convert into future tourism dollars.

The 20-year-old creator, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., visited destinations across the Caribbean over several weeks, streaming his experiences live to a massive global audience of predominantly Gen Z viewers with sponsor Expedia. According to viewership data compiled from the livestreams, the tour generated more than 47 million views in total, not including additional exposure from social media clips, news coverage, and reposts.

Caribbean Tour View Counts

Dominican Republic – 7.0 million views

Dominica, Guadeloupe and St. Kitts – 6.8 million views

Trinidad and Tobago – 4.9 million views

St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Lucia – 4.9 million views

Grenada – 4.3 million views

Jamaica – 3.4 million views

Antigua and Barbuda – 3.1 million views

Barbados – 3.1 million views

Puerto Rico – 2.8 million views

Bahamas – 2.5 million views

U.S. Virgin Islands – 2.5 million views

Saint Martin/Sint Maarten – 1.9 million views

Even using the conservative benchmark of 40 million views, tourism and marketing analysts say the equivalent paid media value could range from approximately $800,000 to more than $2 million, depending on advertising platform, targeting, and production costs.

Connected TV advertising, which often costs $20 to $30 per 1,000 impressions, would place the value of 40 million impressions at roughly $800,000 to $1.2 million. Traditional national television campaigns could cost significantly more.

Why The Exposure Matters

Unlike traditional advertising, IShowSpeed’s content offers authentic, real-time engagement with younger travelers. His streams featured direct interactions with residents, cultural experiences, local attractions, and unscripted moments that showcased Caribbean destinations to a digitally native audience.

That kind of exposure is particularly valuable as Caribbean tourism authorities increasingly seek to reach younger travelers who discover destinations through influencers, YouTube, TikTok, and social media rather than traditional television campaigns.

A New Model For Tourism Promotion

The success of the tour highlights the growing influence of content creators in shaping travel trends and destination awareness. For many Caribbean nations, attracting a global creator with IShowSpeed’s reach can provide significant international visibility at a fraction of the cost of conventional ad campaigns.

Whether measured in view counts or earned media value, the tour underscores how digital creators are becoming powerful partners in tourism marketing.

While the exposure was significant, questions remain about how much of that attention will translate into actual visitor spending. IShowSpeed’s audience is largely composed of tweens, teens, and young adults, many of whom may not yet have the resources to travel. Some online critics have also questioned whether the 7 million views recorded for the Dominican Republic stream were inflated by bots, although those claims have not been independently verified.