According to preliminary estimates released by Visit Florida, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation, 23.4 million visitors came to Florida in the first quarter of 2012 (January to March), an increase of 2.4 percent over the same period in 2011.

Minister of Tourism John Maginley has appealed to the people of Antigua & Barbuda to “stand up” in support of the Beaches project, that he said, will bring in more that US $100 million into the country. Maginley made the comment on the Snakepit show on Saturday.

In an effort to boost Trinidad’s tourism sector, the government is launching a series of projects aimed at developing domestic tourism in the country, according to Tourism Minister Dr Rupert Griffith. One major project includes the development of a tourist resort in Debe.

Mexico registered record hotel occupancy of 185,550 reserved rooms during the January-April period, up 7.6 percent compared to the same period in 2011, the Tourism Secretariat said. The hotel occupancy figures for the Jan. 1 to April 29 period were obtained from the Data Tur system, the secretariat said.