The Caribbean saw a slight increase in tourist arrivals in the first quarter, helped significantly by continued strong growth from Cuba, according to the latest numbers from the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

The region reported 8.7 million international tourist arrivals in the first quarter, a 1.8 percent increase over 2016, although that was led by strong numbers from Cuba and the Dominican Republic, the region’s two largest tourism destinations by volume, according to new CTO Chairman Dionisio D’Aguilar, the Bahamas’ Minister of Tourism.

The region did show improvement out of Canada, with a 4.8 percent increase in arrivals, after a sluggish 2016 from the country.

Cruise passenger arrivals showed a 4.5 percent increase, with about 10 million arrivals overall.

— CJ Staff