Cuba's tourism industry on the way to recovery

 Cuba's tourism industry on the way to recovery

Cuba's Office for National Statistics and Information (ONEI) on February 6 said that the Caribbean island nation welcomed 573,944 international tourists in 2021, equivalent to 39.8% of foreign visitors to Cuba in the same period. last year. This figure reflects the slight recovery of Cuban tourism since mid-November 2021.

A corner of the capital Havana, Cuba. Photo: XINHUA/VNA

Russia continues to be the main market for Cuban tourism when the number of Russian tourists visiting the "Island of Freedom" in 2021 reaches 146,151. This is the only market that is still growing despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Canada dropped to second place in terms of tourist arrivals to Cuba. Third on the list is the Cuban diaspora, followed by Spain.

In 2021, Cuba is expected to welcome about 2.2 million international visitors, but the complicated developments of the Covid-19 pandemic seriously affect this plan. In 2022, the country is expected to attract 2.5 million tourists with a total revenue from tourism services of about 1.159 billion USD.

Up to now, Varadero is Cuba's most popular tourist destination in the country, with an average number of visitors staying about 13,000 people per day, 77% of which are foreigners.

Cuba has attracted 106 more foreign investment projects in the tourism sector and will build 4,000 more hotel rooms in 2022. The Caribbean island nation also plans to host 160 events, including tourism conferences. access in Latin America.