MADRID, Spain.- During the year 2022, Cuba suffered a 65% drop in the Tourism sector, compared to the figures prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the annual report by the consulting firm ForwardKeys, dedicated to the analysis and anticipation of travel flows and air traffic.
These data place the island as the country with the worst tourism recovery in Latin America, despite the fact that the region led the increase in travelers during 2022, indicated the Madrid-based consultancy.
“In the case of Cuba, the recovery is being slower. The country has recovered 40% of its pre-pandemic travelers in 2022. The communication strategy in the reopening was slower than in other neighboring countries, such as the Dominican Republic, ”he told Radio Television Martí the head of Market Intelligence at ForwardKeys, Juan Gómez.
In the first position in the ranking of most recovered destinations was the Dominican Republic, which managed to exceed the arrival of tourists by 5% during the current year compared to 2019, followed by Aruba, Costa Rica and Mexico.
According to data from the National Statistics and Information Office (Onei), Cuba received around 1.3 million international travelers between January and November of this year; number very far from 2.5 million of international visitors that the Cuban government intended to reach.
ForwardKeys also warned that, due to Russia’s war against Ukraine, the energy crisis, the rise in fuel prices and inflation in the main economies worldwide, uncertainty about tourism is expected in 2023.
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