hat's in a number? Well, if you're a Caribbean island dependent on tourism for most of your income, the number of visitors to your shores is a carefully watched statistic. Others keep an eye on it too, to ascertain new vacation trends, and to spy - as it were - on the competition. Tourism numbers trickle out at varying speeds, and most of the islands haven't reported year-end figures for 2000 as yet, but there are a few interesting developments. Islands that are on a rise include Aruba, the U.S. Virgins, and Jamaica, where arrivals were up 12.4 percent, 10.6 percent, and 9.1 percent respectively, over 1999 (cruise ship passengers are not factored into the totals). Islands on the slide include Anguilla, down 15.9 percent, thanks in large part to Cap Juluca being closed for 12 months following Hurricane Lenny; St. Maarten, Antigua-Barbuda, Curacao and Bonaire, all saw declines of ten percent or more. At the risk of stating the obvious, in general, the amount of "airlift" to a destination has a lot to do with numbers rising or falling. For instance, Aruba has benefited from an increase in the number of flights from the U.S. to its newly revamped airport; Bonaire saw a decrease in air service.

Another element in the equation is travel agents, since they often help make the decisions on where visitors land. According to Travel Weekly, the leading publication for travel agents, Cuba is the hot, hot, hot spot in the eyes of agents. Although many Americans already travel to the island surreptitiously, we agree that once the legal barriers come down and commercial air links to Havana are re-established the floodgates will be open. Some neighboring islands may well see drastic drops in American visitor arrivals since the curiosity factor is enormous. The other hot islands most frequently mentioned in Travel Weekly's informal survey of agents: Aruba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana), Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados. Of course, loyal R&R readers know where our favorites are, and we're happy that most of them aren't on this list.

ne of our first choices for a calming sojourn is St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. You need to ferry over from St. Thomas (just two miles away) as there's no airport on St. John, but that's part of its appeal. On our recent visit there weren't a lot of new discoveries to report on, but there are a few things we'll be adding to this chapter in the upcoming new edition of R&R. Had a great dinner at Stone Terrace, a newish restaurant from the mother-son team responsible for Fish Trap, and enjoyed a hearty breakfast at Texas Coast Café, an institution we somehow managed to overlook on previous visits. And we toured Serendip Condominiums (340-776-6646), a complex located high in the hills above Cruz Bay, the island's main town and ferry dock. These ten individually-owned apartments vary in style and décor, but all have a kitchen, air conditioning, limited maid service, and expansive balconies overlooking the Pillsbury Sound. We think this is a great buy, but note no facilities are on site or within walking distance (Cruz Bay is one mile), so you'll probably want a rental car. The studios are Not So Cheap while the one-bedroom units are Pricey.

Actually, we stayed at the Westin St. John Resort for the second time (the first was in 1997, just a few weeks after the hotel opened under the Westin name, following the devastation from Hurricane Marilyn). Overall, our visit went fine, and the hotel has a terrific new restaurant called Chloe and Bernard's, which is run by Winston and the crew responsible for the wonderful Asolare and other St. John favorites. The globe-hopping menu serves fare from France, Japan, India, and more. You'll also find Westin's trademark Heavenly Bed in all rooms - they're a pretty good way to get a rest. But Westin gives their time-share sales a big push, an element we don't particularly like, and we hear that the bay that this hotel sits is the island's most polluted (probably thanks to all those chemical fertilizers that leach from the manicured grounds into the water). Amazingly, Westin's rate card starts at about the same tariff as Caneel Bay, but we don't think the two properties compare. Caneel Bay is a unique Caribbean retreat, more than 40 years old, and built (by Lawrance Rockefeller) with a level of taste and care that is rare in more recent developments. The Westin, on the other hand, could be anywhere. We hear that Westin discounts rooms aggressively, particularly in the off season (in sum, don't fork over the rack rate!), but the standard rates are Beyond Belief. For reservations call 1-800-WESTIN-1.

We did an activity we highly recommend. Captain Bob Conn does a six-hour snorkeling trip aboard his charming motor yacht Cinnamon Bay. Conn has been on the island for a couple decades and knows the better sites around St. John, as well as on neighboring islets. We first visited Congo Cay where we saw turtles and swam over a staggering drop-off where sea pinnacles soared to within 15 feet of the surface. We also snorkeled at Waterlemon Cay, the tiny island off Leinster Bay, where the underwater scenery is superb, colorful and varied (the site is accessible via a short swim from shore). The cost is $55 per person—well worth it. For reservations call 340-776-6462. We'll have more on our USVI visit in the March edition.

ittle reported in the U.S. is that Britain has decided to void anti-gay laws in effect in its five Caribbean territories: Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and Turks and Caicos. Britain's Foreign Office says the laws - which ban homosexual acts between consenting adults - violate international human rights agreements it has signed, and decided to act after island politicians made no effort to repeal anti-gay statutes. Though rarely enforced, penalties range from a fine in Cayman to life imprisonment in Turks and Caicos. Foreign Secretary Robin Cook lost patience with the territories and wound up overruling the local legislatures in December. Many islanders are unhappy with the decision because they say it exemplifies a growing cultural gap between England (viewed as increasingly atheist) and its territories (which have predominantly Christian populations). Several former British colonies, notably Jamaica, have not repealed their anti-gay laws, and the Sandals chain of resorts continues to deny entrance to same-sex couples.

he islands are loaded with festivals for the next few months. Of course, there's Carnival, celebrated in the days leading up to February 28 on Aruba, Curacao, Dominica, Martinique, St. Barts, St. Martin, Guadeloupe, Carriacou and, most famously, Trinidad (many other islands postpone their Carnival to later in the year, so as not to compete with Trinidad's event, or to prop up off-season tourism). Other events to watch out for include Puerto Rico's Coffee Harvest Festival, held in Maricao February 16 to 18, and in Yauco February 23 to March 2 - the Maricao festival features a parade with colorful floats; call 800-866-7827 for more information. St. Maarten holds the 21st Annual Heineken Regatta - one of the region's best sailing events - March 2 to 4; last year's regatta attracted 256 boats from 24 nations in 17 classes, making it the largest Caribbean regatta ever. For information call 800-STMAARTEN, or visit the official Web site: www.heinekenregatta.com. On March 9, help prop up Anguilla's tourism statistics by attending the annual Moonsplash music festival, held on Rendezvous Bay at Bankie Banx's place, The Dunes. Barbados holds its Holetown Festival February 18 to 25 - it's a street fair in this charming village that celebrates the landing of the island's first settlers; more information call 800-221-9831.