Following the announcement by the Cuban government of visa exemption starting in May for Chinese citizens who want to visit the island, searches skyrocketed on the travel platform Ctrip, as revealed by the Asian nation's press.
Half an hour after the announcement, Searches for keywords such as “hotels in Cuba” and “Cuban flights” increased by more than 40% in Ctrip compared to the previous day, according to what the main national travel agency said this Sunday Global Times.
Residents of Beijing, Shanghai and provinces such as Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Fujian showed a very high level of enthusiasm regarding information about Cuba, according to Ctrip.
Chinese travel platform data Qunar show that the current price of a one-way Beijing-Havana ticket is around 8,200 yuan (about $1,132), with two flights per week, while the return trip costs about 5,700 yuan.
There are currently no direct flights between China and Cuba, but Air China plans to resume the Beijing-Havana flight, via Madrid, on May 17. The airline's services had been suspended during the pandemic.
Due to factors such as distance and cost, Cuba has not until now been a traditionally popular destination for Chinese tourists.
“However, Cuba, as well as countries such as Mexico and Brazil in Latin America, have unique cultural and natural landscapes that are very attractive to Chinese tourists,” said Qin Jing, general director of Public Affairs of the Group, this Sunday. Ctrip.
Until April 26 Cuba had received more than a million international tourists so far in 2024, according to data from the Cuban Ministry of Tourism. The Cuban government expects to receive 3.5 million international tourists at the end of the year,
The announcement of visa exemption for Chinese citizens The Cuban Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García, did so during the 42nd Cuban International Tourism Fair (FITCuba 2024), which was held in the resort of Cayo Coco, in the province of Ciego de Ávila.
García also said that China will be the guest of honor of the 2025 Cuban Tourism Festival.
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