Cuban government eager to receive Russian investment in its tourism industry

The Cuban regime, in a desperate attempt to revive the depressed tourism industry, aspires to build hotels with Russian capital.

Juan Carlos García Granda, Minister of Tourism of Cuba (MINTUR), assured that the government wants Russian businessmen to build and manage new facilities in the Caribbean country, reportedRussia Beyond.

At the thirtieth edition of the Russian International Tourism and Hospitality Exhibition, which ended last Thursday, the Cuban president said that they have been “working with the Russian government for two years to identify all the necessary bases and the necessary actions to make such things a reality.” investments".

“The task we have set for ourselves is to attract capital from Russian investors to Cuban tourism, in particular for the construction of hotel complexes, network facilities of various categories, with yacht parking and other additions,” García revealed in Moscow.

“The hotel business in Cuba has been developing for 30 years with the help of foreign investment. And if we depend on Russian tourism, then it will be logical that this business is managed by people who know Russian tourists well,” the official argued.

During the Moscow tourist fair, Cuba's stand offered information on tourist packages designed for Russians. Among the proposals are excursions, especially nautical ones, which are among the favorites of tourists from that nation.

The Cuban regime aims to receive more than 200,000 Russian tourists in 2024, and considers that the use of cards with the MIR operating system is one of the attractions.

According to the Minister of Tourism, “this means of payment could facilitate the stay of clients,” indicated a report from the news agency.Latin Press.

Cuba has about 20,000 payment terminals in different points of sale of products and services, located in tourist destinations, and so far more than 50,000 successful operations have been carried out, which is a competitive advantage, García said.

The flow of Russian tourists to Cuba amounted to 184,800 people in 2023, a record number. According to official Cuban statistics, between January 1 and March 10, 2024, almost 52,000 Russians have already visited the country, 2.1 times more compared to the same period in 2023, he indicated.Russia Beyond.

There are currently direct flights from Russia to Havana, Varadero and Cayo Coco, and MINTUR hopes that the weekly frequencies will rise to 20. The opening of flights to Holguín and a direct itinerary from Saint Petersburg is already being discussed, according to the news portal.

The Cuban government is desperately trying to get tourism out of the current crisis. In 2023, the number of visitors was below 2 and a half million.

The country received 2,436,980 visitors the previous year, which represented 69.6 percent of the plan, according to thesite of the Presidency of Cuba. Although the figure shows an increase of more than 51 percent compared to the previous year (1,614,087 visitors in 2022), it was below the expectations of the regime, whichexpected to reach 3.5 million tourists in 2023.