MIAMI, United States. – The arrival of visitors to Cuba in 2021 dropped 67%, according to news from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI, by its Spanish acronym). Last year, the island welcomed only 573,944 travelers, 869,181 less than in 2020, when the country welcomed close to a million and a half visitors.
While Cuba welcomed 74,019 Russian tourists and 413,409 Canadians in 2020, in 2021 it welcomed only 146,151 visitors from Russia and 68,944 from Canada.
In general, Cuba welcomed 356,470 foreign travelers by the end of December 2021, which represents 32.8% of the number of visitors for the same period in 2020. “In other words, 729,450 less visitors than for the same period the year before,” explained ONEI in its most recent report.
In addition, only 52,804 Cubans who reside abroad travelled to Cuba last year, a considerable drop when compared to the number of travelers in 2020, which totaled 150,388.
This notwithstanding, “the Cuban community abroad” has become the third source of travelers to the island, followed by Spain (12,520), Germany (9,159), the U.S. (7,039), Italy (5,462), France (5,343), the Philippines (4,181) and Poland (3,622).
Last October, the Cuban government revealed its plans to welcome more than 100,000 tourists before the end of the year after reopening its borders on November 15, 2021, this according to information from Cuba’s minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda.
“We are counting on the arrival of more than 100,000 visitors between now and the end of the year. Year to date, less than 200,000 tourists have come to Cuba. It’s an important and optimistic challenge,” stated the minister to the accredited press corps.
In spite of the serious crisis that the Cuban people endure at present, characterized by food and medical shortages, García Granda also spoke about the island’s tourism sector increasing its hotel room capacity by an additional 4,000 guest rooms.
Likewise, and without sharing any updated information about the losses incurred during the two years of pandemic crisis, he assured his audience that “any small reduction in tourism activity” can have “a serious effect in a country like Cuba.”
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