MADRID, Spain. – A total of one million tourists have arrived in Cuba since the start of 2023, according to details given by Juan Carlos García Granda, Minister of Tourism.
García Granda shared that statistic during the 41st Annual International Tourism Fair (FITCuba 2023); that is part of the regime’s plan for relaunching the island as a tourist destination, in spite of the economic crisis that Cuba is facing and the crime and assaults outbreaks that take place is most cities around the country.
“Today, Cuba is receiving one million visitors, a number that represents an important step for the recovery of Cuban tourism. Canada continues to be the main source of international travelers for Cuba,” stated the official on Twitter.
Quoted by the official news daily Granma, García Granda also said that “in spite of all obstacles, we will not desist from the goal of welcoming the 3.5 million foreign vacationists we have projected for 2023.”
Among those obstacles, he mentioned a lack of airway connections, reason why “one of the Fair’s components is dedicated to airlines, with 51 of them participating in the event.”
However, recent statements to the EFE News Agency by expert economists labeled as impossible the arrival of 3.5 million international visitors that the Cuban government is projecting, due to the serious economic crisis, characterized by food, fuel and medication shortages.
For one, Cuban professor Omar Everleny, stated: “The complex situation of the economy affects tourism because, for example, a tourist needs to rent a car to get around the country, but he has no fuel, and sometimes, the 5-star hotel where he or she is staying does not have the necessary supplies.”
In 2022, 1.6 million tourists arrived in Cuba, a number that is much lower than the regime’s projected 2.5 million visitors.
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