Cuban tourism is regaining its former glory.

In Varadero, one of Cuba's most popular seaside resorts, efforts are underway to revive the nightlife experience for tourists , which was disrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Xinhua, Milton Gonzalez, Deputy Director of the Varadero Tourism School, said: “We have introduced nightly guided tours around the resort so that guests can visit nightclubs, bars, and experience various attractions.”

Foreign tourists on the streets of Havana, Cuba. Photo: Telesur

In 2022, Cuba welcomed approximately 1.7 million tourists, significantly lower than the 2.5 million visitors initially projected by local authorities due to the impact of Covid-19.

According to Mercedes del Carmen Franco, Professor at the School of Tourism, University of Havana, Cuban small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can contribute significantly to the development of the local tourism industry. She believes that startups can help transform the tourism sector at the local level by providing hotels with services and offering a variety of products.

For his part, Jose Luis Perello, a university professor and tourism expert, believes that finding effective ways to attract more tourists to Cuba is crucial. He said, “Tourists demand the highest quality hotel service, so the importance of ongoing efforts is undeniable.”

Folk artists perform at the Historic Centre of Havana (a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1982). Photo: THX

According to MINTUR, Canadians lead in the number of tourists, followed by Cuban expatriates, Americans, and Russians. During the pandemic, Cuba's main source of tourists, Canada, suffered a major blow due to Canada's border closures, preventing Canadians from traveling to Cuba. Now, Canadian tour operators are planning a strong push to increase tourism to Cuba this winter.

Nevertheless, Cuba is struggling with a shortage of hotel rooms and facing significant difficulties due to the US embargo, which has severely limited the number of American tourists. The Cuban government, which owns and operates much of the island's tourism infrastructure, is relying on Russia, a major provider of economic aid, including increased flights to Cuba. Currently, the number of tourists from Russia to Cuba is increasing by 4-5%.

Cuban Tourism Minister Juan Carlos Garcia told members of the Cuban National Assembly that Canada continues to be Cuba's main source of tourists, but he hopes Russians will become Cuba's third largest tourism market, partly because the number of charter flights from Russia is expected to increase.

In recent months, talks have taken place between Chinese and Cuban tourism officials with the goal of increasing the number of tourists from China to the island nation. Cuba aims to double the number of Chinese tourists by boosting ecotourism, cultural tourism, medical tourism, and maritime tourism, among other options.

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