In the midst of a complex panorama, the tourism authorities in Cuba intend to use the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) of Madrid as a platform to relaunch the main destinations on the island through attractive proposals.
The presentations scheduled at the stand will have an “added attraction”, given the presence of the five-time Olympic champion Mijain Lopezone of the participants in the inauguration, according to the report from the agency Latin Press (PL).
Honor to #InderCuba: the five-time Olympic champion Mijaín López among the iconic figures who make the Island’s presence at the 46th International Tourism Fair FITUR 2026, in Madrid. #UnitedXCuba #Cuba #CubaUnica#CubanSport pic.twitter.com/M1YrOt9IuE
— INDER (@InderCuba) January 22, 2026
The Horseshoe Giant, as a guest, participated in the symbolic cutting of the ribbon accompanying the head of the Ministry of Tourism (Mintur), Juan Carlos García Granda, and the Cuban ambassador to Spain, Marcelino Medina.
The fair, which has Mexico as a partner-guest country, could be an ideal platform to present to the world “the hospitality, heritage, security and a wide cultural spectrum that the country offers,” the minister said.
When presenting the stand, García Granda highlighted the presence of Mijaín, whom he considered a living legend of Cuban sports.
According to the media, the universal sports icon also took the opportunity to address those present to highlight the benefits of the island’s destinations and their potential in different areas, including sports.
In turn, he expressed his condolences to the Government of Spain and its people for the terrible train accident that occurred last Saturday night, which so far left 45 dead and numerous injured.
In addition to the former gladiator from Pinar del Río, the Cuban stand at Fitur has the support of the prominent singer Isaac Delgado, who together with his orchestra enlivened the Cuban Night held this Thursday at the Meliá Castilla Hotel in Madrid, as well as the events this weekend.
Mintur takes advantage of the tourist fair in the Spanish capital to present some news about attractive destinations in the different regions of the island, along with the promotion of various cultural events, such as the Varadero-Josone Festival.
Refloat an industry
Fitur 2026 drew its curtains last Wednesday in Madrid with the incentive for Spain of having registered 97 million visitors last year and income of more than 134 billion dollars.
These figures contrast enormously with the situation of the tourism in Cubawhich in 2025 linked another year of decline, this time with the arrival of tourists below two million, according to official estimates.
Tourism remains about 25 percentage points below the government objective for the year
According to data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (Onei), between January and November 2025, a total of 1,629,787 tourists arrived in the country, about 19% less than at the same stage in 2024.
The data for the penultimate month of the year were also not encouraging, as the figure of just 151,895 international visitors was one of the worst for a November since 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced borders to close.
The weakness of the Cuban tourism sector, the island’s economic engine for years, has as its main factors the serious economic and energy crisis that the country is suffering – and which has an impact on services and experience -, the cutting of air routes and US sanctions.
Cuba received 2.2 million international visitors in 2024, a total of 2.4 million in 2023 and 1.6 million in 2022, according to official data.
These numbers are very far from those registered in 2018 (4.6 million) and in 2019 (4.2 million), sustained by the so-called “thaw” of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba that occurred in those years and the elimination of Washington restrictions on travel to the island.
