Cuba received 528,099 tourists until February, with Canadian travelers playing a strong role; they accounted for almost half, as reported this Friday by the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI).
The island also adds 637,957 “travelers” until the second month. Regarding the number of tourists, or “international visitors,” as the ONEI describes them, it represents 24% of the Cuban government’s objective of 3.2 million tourists by 2024, according to EFE.
Among the visitors in February, the 261,016 travelers from Canada, the main issuing country, stood out, followed by Russia (43,864) ― which doubles its contribution ―, the United States (28,288) and Germany (13,414).
For its part, Spain, traditionally among the top five issuing markets, falls to ninth position with 8,710 travelers, behind France, England, Mexico and Italy.
The Cuban community abroad continues to gain importance in this sector and with 46,080 people it becomes the second issuing group (despite suffering a drop compared to the same month of 2023).
In January, ONEI had recorded the arrival of 259,898 visitors; therefore, with the February figure, the increase was only about 8,303 travelers.
3.2 million tourists by 2024?
The government has set the goal of receiving 3.2 million tourists this year and thus advance in the recovery of the sector until reaching pre-pandemic levels, around 4.5 million tourists.
Cuba has been going through a serious crisis for years and tourism is key to the government’s economic plans, due to its contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) and the entry of foreign currency it represents, traditionally only behind professional services and remittances.
To achieve this figure, the Ministry of Tourism has proposed a strategy that has among its fundamental challenges the growth of direct air connections to the island.
Dos vuelos desde Reino Unido conectarán con Cayo Coco y Holguín en mayo
Cuba received 2.4 million international visitors in 2023 and 1.6 million in 2022, according to official data. These figures are far from those of 2019 (4.2 million) and 2018 (4.6), the two years before COVID-19, EFE recalls.
Currently, the tourism situation on the island contrasts with that of similar destinations in the Caribbean region, such as Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and Cancún (Mexico), which are registering historic highs in visitors after the pandemic.
