MainTourism Challenge in Cuba is to Keep on Growing, Minister Says

Tourism Minister Juan Garcia said that the main challenge of this sector in Cuba is to keep on growing and be better every day to continue contributing to the economic weight it has in the development of the country.

In that sense, the technological development and its implementation in hotel facilities is fundamental, the minister said Tuesday on the regular Cuban roundtable TV program, accompanied by several deputy ministers and executives of that ministry.

According to Garcia, in the complex scenario with the tightening of the blockade, about 4,275,000 tourists visited Cuba in 2019 at the end of December.

He pointed out that the goal of more than five million tourists seemed to be going to achieve in mid-2019, which could not be reached due to that the arrival to the country of cruises was banned in 100% due to the blockade.

This modality allows sending many tourists to Havana and this benefited the non-state and state sector, flights and charter were also canceled, especially to the Cuban provinces, he noted.

The minister highlighted the growth of the Russian market, which from ranking fourth in late December, is now second on January 7. This year’s tourism fair will be dedicated to that European country.

Despite the restrictions imposed by the current US administration, the tourist sector will continue to grow through a strategy that includes more exhibitions by domestic and foreign producers.