Havana/The statistics continue to prove that the sellers are right. souvenirs from Old Havana, who have been complaining for months that the drop in foreign visitors is reducing the trade in bracelets, necklaces and flags. The National Office of Statistics and Information (Onei) has just confirmed that until October 2025, the Island received 1,477,892 visitors, a figure that represents only 80.1% of the balance registered in the same period of 2024, that is, 366,916 fewer people.
Cuban economist Pedro Monreal was quick to react to such bad data. “With two months left in 2025, Cuba had received approximately 20% fewer visitors in January-October than in the same period in 2024. The worst month of October in the 2022-2025 stage,” published the expert in X. Only 111,172 international travelers arrived in October.
14ymedio had already reported In previous notes, part of this decline is directly related to the viral crisis facing the country. In addition to the widespread degradation of hotel services, the spread of chikungunya and other arboviruses has led several embassies to issue warnings to their citizens before traveling to the Island. Diplomatic offices such as those of Mexico, the United States and Canada have issued explicit recommendations for travelers to evaluate the health risks before visiting the Island.
Part of this decline is directly related to the viral crisis facing the country.
Official figures show that the fall affects almost all traditional issuing markets. Canada, historically the main source of tourists to Cuba, went from 727,254 visitors in 2024 to 596,644 in 2025, a decrease that places the index at 82% year-on-year. European countries such as Spain, which fell to 71.8%, and France, with 76.2% compared to the previous year, also fell noticeably.
Only some specific markets, such as Argentina and Colombia, show increases, although insufficient to compensate for the general trend, since they are very marginal markets.
These numbers confirm that the expected tourism recovery after the pandemic has not only stalled, but continues to decline, despite the optimism of the authorities.
For decades, tourism functioned as an economic lifeline for the Cuban regime, but the systemic crisis that the island is going through, marked by blackouts, inflation, health deterioration and accelerated migration, is affecting the perception of the country as a safe and attractive destination.
Looking at the end of the year, the Onei reports will make it possible to determine whether the downward trend continues or if some markets show signs of growth with the start of the high season as of November 1. Preliminary projections indicate that the behavior of the last quarter will be key to measuring the real impact of health and economic factors on tourist flow, as well as to establish more precise comparisons with pre-pandemic levels.
