MÉRIDA, Mexico – The Cuban government stated on Friday that it had reached one million tourists, although it seems difficult that the regime can achieve the annual target of 3.2 million visitors it has set.
“Today, April 26, just a few days before the start of our International Tourism Fair FitCuba 2024, Cuba welcomes the attainment of one million international visitors,” said Juan Carlos García Granda, the minister of the sector, on X.
A recent report by EFE doubted that the government could meet its annual estimate of 3.2 million tourists in 2024, because “if the pace of the first quarter is kept, it would barely reach the target (and December-March is the high season).”
Precisely, at this time the Cuban regime is dedicated to promoting the staging of the International Tourism Fair (FITCuba), from May 2 to 5, at the Jardines del Rey tourist hub. FITCuba is an event in which the regime hopes to relaunch a sector on which the Cuban economy depends.
The government hopes to finalize business agreements at this fair, where more than 500 experts, travel agents, and foreign tour operators, as well as 80 journalists from various countries, will participate.
This week, EFE noted that while destinations in the region such as Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and Cancun-Tulum (Mexico) are recording historic highs in the number of visits, their Cuban counterparts have yet to take off.
Among the reasons for the low popularity of the Cuban destination, EFE points to “the deterioration in service quality due to the crisis—especially compared to other Caribbean offerings—and the United States’ decision to not allow ESTA quick visas to Europeans who have previously visited the island.”
Last week, it was revealed that a total of 809,238 tourists arrived in Cuba in the first quarter of the year, according to official figures from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI, by its Spanish acronym)).
Canada remains the main source of tourists, with 399,272, followed by Russia with 66,887; the United States with 46,717, and Germany with 22,097.
The Cuban community abroad contributed 75,386 travelers by the end of March.
In January, 259,898 tourists arrived, 268,201 in February, and 281,139 in March.
France (19,377), England (16,719), Mexico (14,689), Spain (14,036), and Argentina (12,753) also contributed a significant number of tourists.
Already in early April, even with preliminary figures, the regime’s official press noted a “modest increase” in the arrival of tourists during the first quarter of the year.
A report from the state media Cubadebate indicated a 7.5% increase in international visitors to the Island, compared to the same period for the previous year.
In the pursuit of 3.2 million tourists, the Ministry of Tourism faces some challenges, the official press acknowledged, including the increase of direct air connections to Cuba and a renewal of the offerings. Despite the increase, the regime’s authorities admit that tourism is not progressing as planned and regard it as complex to reach the goals that had been set.
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