Between January and September 2025, the Island received 20.5% fewer international visitors than in the same period in 2024.
MADRID, Spain.- Cuba received 1,366,720 international visitors between January and September 2025, a figure that represents 79.5% of the volume registered in the same period of the previous year – equivalent to a decrease of 20.5% – according to data published this Wednesday by the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI). The difference represents 352,289 fewer international visitors than in 2024, which confirms the sustained decline in tourism on the island.
In general terms, the country registered 1,960,713 travelers during the first nine months of the year, which is equivalent to 85.2% compared to the same period in 2024, with a drop of 340,486 travelers. The ONEI distinguishes between “travelers”—a category that includes those who enter the national territory for different reasons, including Cuban residents abroad who temporarily return—and “international visitors,” a key indicator to evaluate the behavior of tourism as an economic sector.
The main issuing markets maintained the downward trend. Canadatraditionally the first source of tourists to Cuba, registered 559,715 visitors until September, compared to 695,557 in 2024, equivalent to 80.5%. The Cuban community abroad decreased from 224,266 to 177,823 travelers (79.3%), while the Russian Federation went from 141,612 to 88,879 (62.8%). Arrivals from the United States (from 110,538 to 88,849, 80.4%), Spain (from 50,494 to 36,788, 72.9%), France (from 38,557 to 29,395, 76.2%) and Germany (from 47,323 to 26,735, 56.5%) also decreased. In contrast, Argentina was the only one of the main emitters that showed growth, going from 35,500 to 38,096 visitors (107.3%).
The figures continue the downward trend of the tourism sector, which in 2024 closed with 2.2 million visitors, the lowest figure in almost two decades – except for the pandemic years – and well below the government goal for that year. By 2025, the Government had projected to reach close to 2.6 million international visitors, a goal that becomes difficult to achieve with the pace accumulated until September.
Other negative indicators are added to the reduction in tourist arrivals. Hotel occupancy in the first half of 2025 fell almost seven percentage points compared to the same period in 2024, while arrivals by air decreased by around 20%, according to official data and sector reports.
Specialists attribute this contraction to structural factors, including the loss of air connectivity, the deterioration of tourism infrastructure, deficiencies in basic services, the economic and energy crisis, and growing competition from other Caribbean destinations that have accelerated their post-pandemic recovery.
Tourism, one of the main sources of foreign currency income for the regime—along with the export of professional services and remittances—has failed to recover in a context of internal instability. Despite this, the Government continues to promote the construction of new hotels, a strategy questioned by economists who point out the low occupancy in existing facilities and the need to prioritize essential sectors affected by the crisis.
