The number of Travellers international arrivals in Cuba during the first semester of this year amounted to 682,297, which represents an increase of 496% compared to the same period in 2021, reported Alejandro Gil, head of the Minister of Economy and Planning (MEP) of the island.
In the previous year, by that same date only 114,460 had arrived, in the midst of an epidemiological context marked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gil, who spoke this Thursday during the inauguration of the Cuba-Mexico Business Forumpointed out that “a recovery” is already noticeable in the sector, and reaffirmed the Government’s objective of receiving 2.5 million tourists before the end of the year, according to the agency EFE.
If these calculations were met, Cuba would receive income for an estimated amount of 1,159 million dollars. “It is still a complex goal (…) but we have an infrastructure in good condition,” the minister said in this regard, quoted by the Spanish agency.
Cuba: tourism minister believes the goal of 2.5 million visitors in 2022 is possible
Until before the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism represented close to 10% of the island’s GDP, but this sector has been hit significantly by it.
Last November, Cuba fully reopened to international visits after a year and a half of closures as a containment measure against the coronavirus.
On the other hand, Gil announced that next week he will inform the National Assembly of People’s Power on GDP growth data in the first half of the year, adds EFE.
On this subject, the minister announced that there has been a small growth that shows signs that “there is a recovery from the fall”, after the collapse of GDP above 10% in 2020. In 2021 there was a slight rebound of 0, 5%, remember the middle.
In the recovery of tourism in Cuba Many of the government’s hopes rest on overcoming the serious economic crisis that the country is going through, deepened by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in United States sanctions, and the ineffectiveness of some measures adopted to overcome this situation.
Tourism represents the second sector with the highest contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Island, and also the second source of foreign currency income to the country, according to official figures.
EFE / OnCuba
