Cuba: tourism up sharply but below pre-Covid-19 levels

Tourists enjoy the Cuban beach of Jibacoa, in the province of Mayabeque, on August 1, 2022. © Yamil Lage / AFP

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Tourism is returning to Cuba, with the number of visitors increasing sixfold since the start of 2022 compared to the same period last year, according to the National Statistics Office (ONEI): more than 830,000 visitors have come to Cuba between January and July 2022, compared to 140,000 during the same seven months of 2021. While the level is certainly lower than before the pandemic, the country is now awaiting the return of Russian visitors, in particular.

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The National Statistics Office (ONEI) announced that 834,891 tourists visited the island from January to July 2022, compared to 141,293 in the first seven months of last year.

With the resumption of tourism driven by Canadians, the most numerous to visit the island, Cuba hopes to record at least 2.5 million visitors.

Revival of Russian tourism

It is also counting on a revival of tourism from Russia, which had become the first source of visitors in 2020 and 2021, overtaking Canada.

Cuban Ambassador to Moscow Julio Garmendia told the Russian newspaper

that efforts were underway to restore canceled flights between Russia and Cuba by this winter.

International tourism is Cuba's second largest source of income, behind medical services.

The

when planes were grounded as elsewhere in the world, but also from restrictions on travel from the United States,

and galloping inflation.

Cuba's dependence on imports

The total number of foreign visitors plunged from 4.2 million in 2019 to one million in 2020.

Soaring prices for food, fuel and shipping have highlighted the country's dependence on imports and

.

This caused

this summer in the middle of the tourist season.

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• Cuba

• Tourism

• Economy