Above: Antigua

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Antigua and Barbuda had a very strong first half of 2014 in the tourism sector, according to new data from the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

The twin-island state received 138,317 stopover visitors in the first six of months of 2014, compared to the same period in 2013.

That represented a 6.9 percent increase in arrivals, buoyed by a 10.2 percent improvement so far in the summer tourist season, according to CTO data.

The country saw strong growth from the United States, which brought in 54,244 arrivals (an increase of 10.4 percent over 2013) and Europe, which sent 49,577 tourist arrivals from January to June, a 9.1 percent improvement.

But the country saw a reduction in tourism from Canada, with a 4.7 percent drop in the first six months of 2014.