Cuba continues efforts to attract more tourists

Up to October 2024, Cuba received 2,490,770 travelers according to official figures from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI). This figure is lower than the same period in 2023, giving way to worrying forecasts by several media outlets regarding the future of tourism in the country.

The first ten months of 2024 saw 101,256 less people arrive than the number registered in the same period of the previous year. The number of international visitors dropped from 1,973,173 to 1,844,917, and from Canada, the main source of tourists to this Caribbean nation, from 748,977 to 727,261, according to an article published by Correo Canadiense.

Of the source countries for vacationers to Cuba, only Russia and Mexico saw positive trends, with respective increases of 7 and 3.7 percent.

In a recent communiqué, the Director of the Cuban Tourism Office in Toronto, Lessner Gómez, stressed that the Ministry of Tourism has been preparing to offer better services, uninterrupted supplies, a superior airport experience, and more and new car rentals for the winter season.

Meanwhile, the Commercial Director of the Blue Diamond Resort chain in Cuba, Rafael Villanueva, told Correo Canadiense that Canadian tour operators are reducing their flight capacity (as Sunwing Vacations Group did) due to the complicated situation on the island (blackouts, shortages, earthquakes, hurricanes), but stressed that this trend must be reversed.

Blue Diamond, also from Canada, manages 58 hotels and almost 13,000 rooms in Cuba, and since December 1 it has a “new jewel” in its portfolio: Resonance Hotels, a proposal designed for travelers seeking unique sensations, beyond the conventional.

Villanueva noted that this initiative, aimed at people over 18 years of age and present in facilities located in Varadero, Cayo Santa María, Santa Lucía and Marea del Portillo, in the provinces of Matanzas, Villa Clara, Camagüey and Granma, is intended to attract more guests. The number of seats has to increase and Sunwing can do it, let’s remember that Cuba has an advantage as flights can run to and from Canada twice a day, he stressed.

Last week, Blue Diamond Resorts assured in a press release that its hotels are operating normally and due to the installation of electric generators, the continuous supply of energy is guaranteed.

In addition, the press release emphasized that the running water and air conditioning services operate without interruption, which favors the comfort and tranquility of guests.

We reiterate our commitment to quality and the well-being of those who trust us, ensuring that, despite the circumstances, our clients continue to enjoy a pleasant and undisturbed vacation experience, the commercial director concluded.

Source: Diony Sanabia,  Correo Canadiense