Above: El Secreto in Belize (Photo: El Secreto)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Tourism in Belize is at an all-time high for the first quarter of 2013, according to a report from the Belize Tourism Board.

Airport arrivals increased by 7.58 percent in January, by 6 percent in February and by 10.1 percent in March, all compared to the same periods in 2012.

In March, Belize recorded 28,623 tourist arrivals, the most the country has received in any single month in its history. It was also the 19th consecutive month of annual growth.

Overall, arrivals were up 8.1 percent in the first quarter compared to the first three months of 2012.

Overnight visitors also set a record, with 35,000 visitors in March, surpassing the previous high of 32,240 in March 12. Overnight visitors were up 13 percent overall in the first quarter.

In other news, the Belize Tourism Board announced that it had named Valdemar Andrade as its new director of cruise and regional initiatives.