Cuba reaches one million foreign visitors in the midst of the tourism crisis

In the midst of growing negative opinions towards tourism on the island, involved in a streak of bad evaluations of the service, facilities and food supply, the minister of the sector in Cuba,Juan Carlos García Granda, celebrated the arrival of one million visitors.

“Today, April 26, a few days after the start of our FitCuba2024 International Tourism Fair, Cuba receives one million international visitors,” said García Granda from his profile on X.

News that seems encouraging if you look at the recent context, in whichthe debate over the confusion when repatriating the body of a Canadian tourist, whose body was exchanged for that of a Russian and thus handed over to his family, have called into question the quality of tourism on the island.

Recent complaints on social networks about thepresence of cockroaches in hotels, thequality of hotel facilities and thevariety of foods, which are reflected in high-category hotels.

A few weeks ago,during a Round Table dedicated to tourism, Minister García Granda pointed out that the goal of 2024 “is to overcome the barrier of three million tourists, increase air connectivity and encourage demand and improve customer service”, the latter withserious deficiencies so far this year.

The bet is still significant, even more so if you take into account thatIt was the same purpose as the previous year., and at that stage,Cuba only reached 2.4 million international visitors, leaving forecasts below by more than 30%.

However, during the period the arrival of travelers increased with almost 3.2 million visitors (including nationals).

Compared to popular destinations in the region, in 2023, the Dominican Republic received more than 6 million international tourists, establishing itself as a leader in the industry in the Caribbean. Meanwhile, Cancun in Mexico attracted more than 4 million visitors that year alone.

Apparently,The Cuban bet is focused on attracting Russian nationals to the island. According to an estimate, 200,000 Russian tourists are expected to arrive this year, after theease with the use of MIR cards.

“The influx of travelers currently exceeds the record numbers that date back to 2019, with more than 184 thousand visitors,” said García Granda during the International Tourism Fair (MITT) in Moscow in March of this year.

Even so,Canada continues to be the first issuer of tourists to Cuba, followed by the Cuban community abroad, Russia, the United States, Germany, France, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Spain and Argentina.

Returning to the purposes for 2024,The goal is still high for the current times and very far from the 4,275,558 who arrived in Cuba in 2019, a year before the pandemic.

Even so, in a few days the regime will have the opportunity to show the benefits that it speculates in its promotional campaigns, this time through theInternational Tourism Fair, which will take place in the Jardines del Rey tourist center, in Ciego de Ávila, between May 1 and 5.