The Spanish airline World2Fly connects Holguín with Slovakia

With the arrival of a flight from Bratislava to Frank País International Airport this Tuesday, the Spanish airline World2Fly inaugurated a new air connection between Holguín and Slovakia.

An Airbus A330-300 aircraft landed shortly after two in the afternoon at the airport terminal in the northeastern city of Cuba, carrying over 270 tourists. This marked the beginning of a new route operated by the Spanish company in collaboration with the Czech tour operator Der Touristik.

Flights between Bratislava and Holguín will operate weekly until March, with scheduled arrivals every Tuesday afternoon, reported Edilberto Riverón, a commercial representative of the Gaviota Tourism Group, part of the military conglomerate GAESA.

Riverón added that tourists will be staying in hotels in the tourist areas of Holguín and the El Ramón de Antilla peninsula, where the hotel group operates "two new high-comfort facilities currently in operation," according to the state-run newspaper ¡Ahora!.

Last October, World2Fly, in collaboration with Der Touristik, launched flights from Prague, Czech Republic, to Holguín.

According to a Gaviota executive, the newly inaugurated air service to Bratislava and the already established route to Prague represent a new development for the high winter season in Holguín, marking the first time that this Cuban tourist destination welcomes travelers from Czechia and Slovakia.

Riverón revealed that the "aspiration is for both to endure over time; that would be ideal, as well as having these operations every winter."

He added that the tour operator Der Touristik operated last winter season in Cayo Santa María, but this year chose the northeastern area. Therefore, he stated that efforts would be made to "provide high-quality service" that would "make them want to repeat the experience next year."

However, World2Fly’s new routes to Holguín are part of a strategic adjustment by the company for the winter 2024/2025 season. In April, the airline decided to cease its flights from Prague to Santa Clara and redirect its focus to the eastern destination, a business decision that responds to an increasing demand for exotic and sun-and-beach destinations.

Regarding the current winter season in Holguín, Riverón acknowledged that it started "a bit slow," but assured that it has already shown signs of strengthening. He noted that starting from the 22nd, a significant increase in the arrival of flights and tourists is expected.

He noted that Canada remains the leading source market for tourists to the destination, followed by Germany and Italy, as well as the recent inclusion of visitors from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Currently, Holguín reports about 39 weekly tourist operations, he stated.

Cutback of routes by Spanish airlines

Since 2023, several Spanish airlines have reduced or canceled flights to Cuba due to a decline in demand.

Iberojet, for example, suspended its Madrid-Santiago de Cuba route starting in October, less than a year after its launch. This decision has been attributed by industry sources to issues with hotel infrastructure and a lack of attractive activities in the eastern city.

For its part, Iberia has reduced its flights to Havana to three times a week, in line with the forecasts for its winter schedule. Some airlines in Spain have begun flying to tourist destinations such as Varadero and the Keys.

The low occupancy rates on flights to Cuba since 2023 have significantly impacted the main airlines operating in the country, such as Iberia, World2Fly, Iberojet, and Air Europa, whose planes were barely reaching half of their capacity. This situation has resulted in considerable losses, highlighting the challenges faced by Cuban tourism in the face of more established competitors in the region, such as the Dominican Republic.

The tourism crisis will continue in 2025, the government admitted

Tourism in Cuba will continue to decline in 2025, with an estimated 2.6 million foreign tourists, the government confirmed this week.

According to official projections, next year will be even worse than 2024, with an expected 100,000 fewer visitors than the already missed target for this year.

In the first 10 months of 2024, Cuba welcomed only 1.85 million international tourists, a decrease of 6.5% compared to the same period last year, according to the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI).

This confirms that the target of 2.7 million visitors for this year, which had already been revised down from an initial goal of 3.2 million, will not be met.

Additionally, the current numbers are far from the 4.6 million tourists recorded in 2018 and the 4.2 million in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This trend contrasts with that of other Caribbean destinations, such as Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and Cancun in Mexico, which are achieving record numbers of visitors.

Frequently Asked Questions about World2Fly's New Air Route and Tourism in Cuba