The Cuban government intends to introduce theChinese UnionPay bank cards in the country, for which “work is being done to adapt the acceptance standards” of this means of payment, according to official information.
After enabling theuse of Russian MIR bank cards in Cuba, the next step of the authorities of the Cuban banking sector seems to be aimed at enabling payment operations with those of UnionPay, the largest bank card association in China.
Apublished note by the Cuban government financial entity Fincimex specified the international cards that can be used in Cuba: Visa and Mastercard -not issued by US banks-, Cabal and MIR, and announced thatUnionPay acceptance standards are being adapted for use on the island.
The advertisement is in line with thegovernment intention to promote the arrival of Chinese tourists to the country, which had its most recent sign in the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Cuban agency Havanatur and the Chinese tour operator Tumei International Travel, last March.
According to the information published then, the agreement “seeks to promote the arrival of tourists to the largest of the Antilles to enjoy the reliable and safe destination.” The Chinese side assured that Cuba is a “priority” destination on its agenda and is a customer preference.
Between 2010 and 2019, the number of Chinese tourists in Cuba increased around 23% each year, which placed the Asian country among the first 15 senders of travelers to the island, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism, cited by thechinese official agencyXinhua. Last August,The first group of Chinese tourists arrived in Cuba after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The implementation of the use of UnionPay payment cards in Cuba would seek to encourage the interest of Chinese citizens in traveling to the island, in the midst of the serious crisis in the Cuban tourism sector.very far from fulfilling the aspiration of receiving 3.5 million tourists in 2023.
Seven years ago, the Cuban government announced thebeginning of the use of Chinese bank cards in the country, after the signing of an agreement between the presidency of UnionPay International and the Cuban state-owned Servicios de Pagos RED S.A.
It was then said that the expanded use of UnionPay cards in Cuba could facilitate the purchase of products or other procedures for Chinese visitors.
The same objective led the regime to make MIR card operations official as a means of payment, at a time whenRussia seeks to promote tourism to Cuba, with the intention of becoming the main source of visitors to the island.
UnionPay cards can be used in 141 countries and regions around the world, making it the third largest payment network by value of transactions processed, behind Visa and MasterCard, according to data fromWikipedia.
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