International Tourism in Cuba Slumps, but National Tourism Up

HAVANA TIMES – The arrival of foreign tourists to Cuba continued a slowing trend in July, down 0.5% from the same month of 2013, according to data released this past weekend by the National Bureau of Statistics and Information.

The island received during the July 55 thousand visitors than in the same month last year, and in June there had been a decrease of 1.4 percent.

The results of this summer are out of the general trend of the semester, since statistics show that in the first seven months of the year the number of foreign visitors increased by 3.4 percent.

In 2013, Cuba received a total of 2,852,572 million passengers, an increase of 0.5 percent over 2012; while this year the country aims to attract over three million visitors.

Canada, Germany, England, Italy, France and Cuban Americans resident in the United States remain the leading source of travelers to Cuba. Tourism is the second leading foreign exchange earner behind exports of medical services.

Domestic tourism grows in Varadero

The domestic tourism market grew 21 percent at the Vardero resort, Cuba’s top beach destination, compared to the same period of 2013, reported Girón weekly.

During the first half of the year more than 112 thousand Cubans living on the island visited Varadero, close to 23 thousand above what was achieved in the same period last year.

Cuban hotel chains Isla Azul, Cubanacan, Gran Caribe and Gaviota are responsible for accommodation for holidaymakers visiting the town, located on the northern coast of western Matanzas province.

To stimulate tourism among Cubans, Isla Azul invested in fixing up vacation houses to imprve conditions for this popular mode of accommodation.