Above: The island of Bequia (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

St Vincent and the Grenadines is seeing a decline in tourism arrivals in 2014, according to new data from the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

The archipelago’s arrivals were down 2.5 percent year-over-year through the end of August, the biggest decline of any Caribbean destination in that period.

The decline is the result of a particularly slow summer season, when arrivals dropped by 8.2 percent.

That came after a strong start to the year, when the country saw a 3.2 precent increase in arrivals in the winter season.

So far this year, the country has received 49,233 visitors.

Those numbers could see a boost soon, however, when the country opens its brand-new international airport, planned for next year.