He cuban government He acknowledged yesterday that tourism sector goes through a “complex situation“and that he is not going to meet his forecasts of income and international visitors by about 25 percentage points in each case.
The Minister of Economy and Planning, Joaquin Alonsodid balance of the situation of the former engine of the national economy when speaking before the plenary session of the National Assembly of Popular Power (ANPP).
According to the report, the income They will reach 917.4 million dollars, 75.8% of what was expected, and the number of visitors will be around 1.9 million people, 73.1% of the state estimate for the entire year.
If this number of travelers is confirmed, it would be the worst record annual tourism sector Cuban since 2003not counting the three exercises most affected by COVID-19. In comparison, the island attracted about 4.6 and 4.7 million visitors in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
The State Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) recently reported that between January and October of this year, the country received a total of 1,477,892 visitors international, a 19.9% less than in the same period of 2024.
The weakness of tourism sector Cuban economy, the island’s economic engine for years, has as its main factors the serious economic crisis crisis that the country suffers – and that has an impact on services and experience -, the cutting of air routes and the US sanctions.
Tourism is fundamental to the economic recovery plans of the Cuban Government, due to its contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) and the inflow of foreign currency it represents, which is usually among the most important, along with professional services and remittances.
The situation contrasts with that of similar destinations in the Caribbean region, such as Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and Cancún (Mexico), which are registering historic highs in visitors after the pandemic.
