Above: Anguilla (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Anguilla reported a 6.8 percent increases in tourism arrivals in 2013, according to data from the Anguilla Tourist Board.

The island welcomed a total of 69,068 tourist stopover arrivals, up from 64,698 in 2012, according to data from the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

Anguilla saw the biggest jump from the United States and Canada, which saw improvements of 22 percent and 24 percent, respectively, compared to 2012.

Traffic from the UK increased by 27 percent as well.

The island also received 82,235 “excursionist or day-trip arrivals,” for a total of 151,303 visitors from all markets.

“The ATB is pleased with the island’s performance across our regional and international markets,” said Candis Niles, Director of Tourism with the Anguilla Tourist Board, in a statement. “We are very encouraged by these tourism numbers reported for 2013.”

Niles pointed to new airlift on carriers like Tradewind Aviation from San Juan and Winair from St Maarten as having helped to boost the island’s tourist traffic.

“Coupled with strong public relations and marketing efforts which brought Anguilla’s travel trade and consumer awareness back into focus, all elements have worked together to generate the increase in visitor arrival numbers that we have seen,” Niles said.

Anguilla’s increase was among the highest of any Caribbean tourism destination in 2013, according to an analysis of CTO data.