Havana, June 30 (RHC) –- Cuba's tourism industry generated more than $US 1.7 billion in revenues in the first half of 2015, according to reports from Havana.

Interest in visiting Cuba has increased in the past six months and the island now ranks as the Number Two Caribbean destination.

Cuba drew more than three million visitors for the first time in 2014, when 3,002,745 arrivals were registered -- up 5.3 percent from the previous year.

The upward trend continued in the first quarter of 2015, when one million visitors arrived on the island, the Tourism Ministry said.

The official forecast predicts 2015's tourist arrivals record will be broken, as well as the revenue record of $US 2.7 billion.

Tourism is the Number Two source of revenue for Cuba, trailing only personnel services.