AREQUIPA, Peru – Those were the days when tourists were part of everyday life in Havana. Following the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the governments of the United States and Cuba, announced in late 2014, and the subsequent visit of then-President Barack Obama, the number of visitors to the island grew.
At that time, the Cuban capital was almost a fashionable city. International artists such as Katy Perry or Madonna They visited the city between 2015 and 2016, as did dozens of other celebrities when the Paseo del Prado became the catwalk for a Chanel fashion show.
But the popularity of that time is barely remembered. The deep crisis that the country is in is also reflected in its tourist numbers, which have not managed to reach the modest pre-pandemic numbers. The crowded areas where groups of foreigners were once frequently seen are now empty and silent spaces.
This week it was news that Cuba received a total of 1,680,485 visitors during the first half of 2024, according to official figures from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI).
Although this number represents an increase of 101.1% compared to the previous year, it barely reflects an increase of 0.9% compared to the same period in 2023. This figure shows that the Cuban tourism sector is still far from achieving the regime’s goal of attracting 3.2 million tourists in 2024.
The negative trend has continued, with the third consecutive month of decline in the arrival of visitors international. Last June, only 134,948 tourists visited the island, compared to 154,590 in the same month last year.
On the other hand, Isla did not appear in the ranking of the best countries for tourism, according to the latest report from the World Economic Forum (WEF), published at the end of May.
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