Caribbean Sees Record Number Of Visitors

The Caribbean welcomed a record 29.3 million visitors last year, according to the Caribbean Tourism  Organization, compared to about 26% in 2015.

The 4.2% increase marks the Caribbean’s seventh-consecutive year of growth. The region also received a record 26.3 million cruise ship arrivals, increasing 1.3%.

While some islands saw no increase at all, others saw double digit increases, including  Belize, Turks & Caicos, Bermuda, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados and Grenada.

The United States remains the region’s primary market, and the strong performance in 2016 was primarily supported by sustained economic growth. Due to the country’s current political climate, tourism officials expect growth to taper off this year, expecting an increase but not robust.