The Spanish airline World2Fly connects Holguín with Slovakia

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

An Airbus 330-300 aircraft landed shortly after two in the afternoon at the airport terminal in the northeastern city of Cuba, carrying over 270 tourists on board, marking 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 sales representative for the Gaviota Tourism Group, part of the military conglomerate GAESA.

Riverón added that tourists will stay in hotels located in the tourist centers of Holguín and the El Ramón de Antilla peninsula, where the hotel group manages "two new high-comfort facilities in operation," as reported by the official newspaper ¡Ahora!.

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

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

Riverón revealed that "the aspiration is for both to continue over time; that would be ideal, just like having these operations every winter."

He added that the tour operator Der Touristik operated in Cayo Santa María during the last winter season, but this year it has chosen the northeastern area. He stated that efforts will be made to "provide a high-quality service" that will "encourage them to repeat the experience next year."

However, the new World2Fly routes to Holguín are part of a strategic adjustment by the company for the winter season 2024/2025. In April, the airline decided to discontinue its flights from Prague to Santa Clara and redirect its focus to the eastern destination, a business move 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 emphasized that it has already shown signs of strengthening. Starting on the 22nd of this month, a significant increase in the arrival of flights and tourists is expected.

It was indicated that Canada remains the top source market for tourists to the region, followed by Germany and Italy, along with the recent inclusion of visitors from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Currently, Holguín records about 39 weekly tourism operations, it was reported.

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. Sources in the industry attributed this decision 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 weekly frequencies, 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 of flights to Cuba since 2023 has significantly impacted the major 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 against more established competitors in the region, such as the Dominican Republic.

The tourism crisis will continue in 2025, the government admitted

Tourism in Cuba is expected to continue its 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 unmet target for this year.

In the first 10 months of 2024, Cuba received 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 goal of 2.7 million visitors for this year, which had already been revised down from an initial target of 3.2 million, will not be met.

Moreover, the current figures 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 (Dominican Republic) and Cancún (Mexico), which are reaching record numbers of visitors.

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