Above: Ambergris Caye in Belize

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Tourist arrivals to Belize rose by 6.1 percent in 2013, according to preliminary data released by the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

The country received a total of 294,176 tourist arrivals, up from 277,136 tourist arrivals in 2012, according to the CTO.

The country’s 2013 growth was among the largest improvements of any tourism destination in the Caribbean last year.

It was buoyed by a very strong winter season that saw improvement of 10 percent, although the summer months actually saw a 3.6 percent decline in arrivals over the summer of 2012.

In 2012, Belize’s tourism sector improved by 10.7 percent over the previous year.