Havana, March 6 (RHC) -– Breaking a record in visitor numbers for the month and growing a hefty 9.3 percent from January 2013, 320,032 tourists visited Cuba in January this year, the National Statistics Office (ONE) reported.

The rise is a rebound from two years of stagnation. In 2011, January set a new record with 296,055 visitors, but in 2012 and 2013, January visitor numbers dropped to 293,329 and 292,810, respectively.

The overall visitor number growth for 2013 was just 0.5%, below expectations. However, the January figures continue a growth trend that began in November with 7.6% and December with 8.8%, potentially putting 2014 on track for a record year.

Canada -- already Cuba’s biggest source market -- was the biggest contributor to the January rebound, with a 13.9% rise in visitors. Other strong source markets were Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Chile and Venezuela.