The return of European cruises to Cuba coincides with the tourism debacle

Havana/For the third time in the course of a month, a cruise docked, on Tuesday, in the port of Havana. It is about Ambitionfrom the Caribbean island of San Cristóbal y Nieves and operated by the British naviera Ambise Cruise Line. It is the first time that this ship, registered in Bahamas, arrives in the Cuban capital.

With a capacity of 1,200 travelers and 600 crew, several dozens of them were seen on Tuesday for the historic center. Some even immediately rent an almondrón.

The official press echoed the arrival, citing the Customs General of the Republic, which stressed that “this operation confirms Cuba as a safe port for tourism and other naval activities in the region.” During the day, the note published by Havana Tribune“The captain of the boat exchanged plates with the administration of the Havana Cruise Terminal, in an act of courtesy that reaffirms the good relations and recognition of the work of the island’s authorities in the sector.”

Just five days ago, port in Havana again played the MS Hamburgof the German operator conti. As usual, their passengers also walked through Old Havana at their stop. Before, the ship had been in Santiago de Cuba and, previously, also in the capital of the island, after a journey through Columbus (Panama), San Andrés (Colombia), Roatán and Puerto Cortés (Honduras), Santo Tomás de Castilla (Guatemala), Belize and Cozumel (Mexico).

That arrival, at the end of December, marked the beginning of the high season for cruises, which, however, do not seem enough to lift the debacle in the tourism sector. As indicated by the official data published on Tuesday – latest at the usual and once the International Tourism Fair of Madrid (Fitur) – Cuba closed last year with The lowest international travelers figure Since 2007-the period 2020-2022, in which the sector sank worldwide for the Covid-19–: those same 2.2 million that the Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda, sank world In December before Parliament.

Especially worrisome are the numbers of December, traditionally the best month of the year in terms of tourism, because it is the peak of the high Caribbean season. They only received 197,790 travelers on the island.