The Guadeloupe Islands saw a significant jump in arrivals from the United States last year, with a 23 percent year-over-year increase, according to data released by the Guadeloupe Islands Tourist Board during the Caribbean Travel Marketplace conference.

The country received 176,642 visitors in 2012, according to data from the Caribbean Tourism Organization, which was itself a 12.6 percent increase over the previous year. Last year’s count was approximately 197,310 visitors.

On November 6 2013, a little more than two months ago the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) announced that the Caribbean Region has been established as the first Sustainable Tourism Zone in the world.

Barbados has “great interest” in courting tourists from China, according to Prime Minister Freundel Stuart. The Prime Minister was speaking following a courtesy call with China’s new Ambassador to Barbados, Wang Ke, this week.

The Expedia group, the world's largest online travel company, reported today that travel demand garnered via company’s platforms for the Caribbean region grew nearly 20 percent year over year during the first three quarters of 2013.