The arrival of Travellers International visitors to Cuba between January and May rose 640% in year-on-year terms, adding 564,847 visitors in those five months, reported this Friday the National Office of Statistics and Information of Cuba (ONEI).
The figure, close to that registered by the Caribbean island in the whole of last year, includes business trips and trips for personal reasons, not just international tourists.
According to the report, Canadians are the ones who have visited the island the most so far in 2022 (182,733), followed by Cubans residing abroad (121,285). In both cases, the increase compared to the same period last year was above 1,000%.
Spain it ranked fifth with 20,963 visitors.
The island authorities already speak of a “gradual recovery trend” of the sightseeing after the drop in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cuban government highlights “a trend towards gradual recovery” of tourism
The ONEI estimated at 573,944 international travelers who visited Cuba throughout last year, which represented a decrease of 60% compared to 2020.
the Cuban government expects to receive some 2.5 million visitors this yearwhich would mean, according to his estimates, an injection of 1,159 million dollars in foreign currency, vital for its economy.
The Caribbean country, dependent on income from the tourism sector, reopened its borders in mid-November after a forced closure due to the pandemic.
This industry represents the second largest item in the gross domestic product (GDP)which is also its second largest source of foreign currency.
The state tourism sector expects to end this year with 84,906 hotel rooms, 5.7% more than the previous year, despite the pandemic.
Cuba is going through a serious economic crisis due to the pandemic, the tightening of US economic sanctions and the slow pace of its internal reforms.
