Cuban tourism is regaining its position

In Varadero, one of Cuba's most popular coastal resorts, efforts are underway to revive the tourist nightlife experience that was disrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We have introduced nightly guided tours around the resort so that visitors can visit nightclubs, bars and experience different attractions,” Milton Gonzalez, deputy director of the Varadero School of Tourism, told Xinhua.

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

In 2022, Cuba will welcome about 1.7 million tourists, much lower than the 2.5 million that local authorities initially expected due to the consequences of Covid-19.

Cuban SMEs can make a huge contribution to the development of the local tourism industry, according to Mercedes del Carmen Franco, professor at the University of Havana’s School of Tourism. Startups can help transform the tourism industry at the local level by providing hotel establishments with services and offering different products, she said.

For his part, Jose Luis Perello, a university professor and tourism expert, said that finding effective ways to attract more tourists to Cuba is crucial. “Tourists demand the highest quality of hotel services, so the importance of continuous efforts cannot be understated,” he said.

Folk artists perform at the Historic Center of La Habana (designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982). Photo: THX

According to MINTUR, Canadians top the list of visitors, followed by Cubans from the diaspora, Americans and Russians. During the pandemic, Cuba’s main source of tourists, Canada, was hit hard by the closure of its border, preventing Canadians from traveling to Cuba. Now, Canadian tour operators are planning a major boost to tourism to Cuba this winter.

Despite this, Cuba is struggling with a shortage of hotel rooms and has been hampered by a US embargo that 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, which has provided major economic aid, including increased flights to Cuba. The number of Russian visitors to Cuba is currently up 4-5%.

Cuba's tourism minister, Juan Carlos Garcia, told members of the Cuban parliament that Canada continues to be Cuba's main source of tourists but he expects Russians to become Cuba's third tourism market, in part because the number of charter flights from Russia is expected to increase.

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

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