MIAMI, United States. – Cuba is losing ground as preferred destination for Russian tourists during the winter season due to the high cost of travel packages and lodging in the island, according to information released by Russia’s Association of Tourist Operators (ATOR) quoted in the Russian outlet LENTA.RU.
ATOR has announced that for the coming fall-winter season, Russian tourists who wish to enjoy sun and beaches will prefer destinations like Thailand, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
While a nine-nights package to Thailand will cost around 174,000 rubles (almost $1,900), a similar package to Cuba will not cost less than 190,000 rubles (almost $2,100). This places Cuba as one of the most expensive destinations, along with The Seychelles, in East Africa.
Stats from the first quarter 2023 already showed a decline in the flow of Russian tourists to the island. In spite of a 45% increase when compared to the same period in 2022, the figure remains far from the 178,000 Russian tourists that visited Cuba in 2021.
Cuba’s embassy in Russia has informed that between January and June 2023, 67,600 Russian tourists visited the island. Now, Russia occupies fourth place in Cuba’s tourist markets, below Canada, Cuban residents abroad and U.S. tourists.
However, ATOR still indicates that Russian’s tourist interest in Cuba remains high. Considering the launching of regular flights to Varadero and greater options like the combination tours Havana + Varadero, ATOR hopes that Cuba will welcome at least 100,000 Russian tourists for the end of the year.
Nonetheless, the goal of attaining the government projection of 3.5 million tourists in 2023 looks more uncertain every day. Having welcomed a total of 1,289,539 visitors in the first two quarters of the year, the Cuban government would have to attract 2,201,461 visitors in the second semester, a number that has never before been attained.
This trend could be an important obstacle for the recovery of the tourism industry in Cuba. The island has been struggling to recover after the COVID-19 pandemic. Cuba’s Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda, had put forth an optimistic panorama with a 50% recovery as compared to 2019, but the recent numbers as well as competition from other tourist destinations, are casting doubt on those expectations.
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