SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Caribbean is attracting tourists in numbers not seen since the start of the global economic crisis, with several islands reporting new records.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization said more than 23 million people visited the region in 2010, a nearly five percent increase from the 22.1 million in the previous year.

The Bahamas and Jamaica were among the top eight most requested countries last year, Tripology.com noted in a recent quarterly review.

The Caribbean also was the second most requested destination last year, following the U.S.

Josef Forstmayr, president of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Organization, said Friday that he expects the numbers to grow this year but acknowledged that visitors were not spending as much.