The tourism industry in the Caribbean brings in more than US$27 billion, said Jamaica minister of tourism Edmund Bartlett.
It is the most important source of earnings and economic activity for more than half of all Caribbean islands, Bartlett said.
"Tourism is the single largest generator of foreign exchange in 16 of the 28 countries in the Caribbean, with the sector receiving the most by way of foreign direct investment."
The Caribbean has the highest percentage of GDP and direct employment from tourism than any other region in the world.
It is thought one in four of all people employed in the region work in tourism.
"These economic indicators confirm what most of us as key players and stakeholders in the sector already know; that is, unmasking the full economic potential of tourism remains at the heart of the region’s quest to promote sustainable and inclusive growth," he said.
"The region welcomed a historic 29 million visitors in 2016, over one million more than in 2015."
That is slightly above the global average for tourism growth, he said.
