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The slow convalescence of post-coronavirus tourism in Cuba

The slow convalescence of post-coronavirus tourism in Cuba

Despite the end of the pandemic of the coronavirus, Cuba keep fighting to get it back tourisma vital activity for your economy. In Trinidad, jewel of the Caribbean island, the high season was “unstable”according to workers of the sector that are committed to the return of Russian visitors and the opening of new markets.

“Little, little we are getting up, but not everything has recovered” as before the pandemic, explains Norelvis Vegas, while taking tourists in his buggy through the alleys of this town in the province of Sancti Spíritus, located 350 km southeast of Havana, the capital.

Like most of the 76,000 inhabitants of this town, whose historic center was declared a World Heritage Site in 1988, this 33-year-old family man lives off tourism, and ensures that the 2023 high season, which runs from December to April, was “unstable”.

“Compared to before Covid, now we have about 25% less occupancy,” confirms Yami Martínez (48), owner of a nine-bedroom rental house for a decade.

After the record of 2018 – with 4.7 million tourists and US$3.3 billion in income-, as a result of the historic rapprochement with the United States, Cuban tourism had to face hard blows: the tightening of US sanctions under the government of Republican magnate Donald Trump (2017-2021), the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine, not counting the internal economic difficulties.

“The problem of electricity and transportation is very hard,” adds Martínez, referring to the frequent blackouts on the communist island and the aggravated fuel shortage in recent months, which tourists do not always escape.

Reinaldo Vivas, 55, had to halve the capacity of his restaurant. When US cruise ships, now barred from traveling to Cuba by Trump sanctions, stopped near Trinidad, it could accommodate up to 250 diners a day.

“Before the pandemic, there was stability in tourism”points out Vivas.

The man stressed that this year the high season “it hasn’t been that high” and what has he had “more dependence on individual tourism”. “Before we had tourism more than groups”, the Mint.

As the hotels are owned by the State, group tourism is the one that contributes the most to the coffers of the country.

However, Cuba reported in 2022 a hotel occupancy rate of 15.6%, according to official figures, against 75.9% in Cancun (Mexico) and 70.3% in the Dominican Republic, its main competitors in the Caribbean.

Flights Moscow-Varadero

At the beginning of May, the Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García, acknowledged that the recovery was not complete, although he maintained the goal of receiving 3.5 million tourists in 2023. Of a projection of 2.5 million foreseen in 2022, the island only recorded 1.6 million visitors.

Canadian tourism, the island’s main market, “It has recovered to 80% compared to 2019, and today means more than 50% of the tourism that we are receiving”Garcia explained.

“But we cannot say the same about another market as important as the one made up of European countries”added the minister, pointing to factors such as inflation, the conflict in Ukraine and the increase in air transport prices.

In a context of close diplomatic and economic rapprochement with Moscow in recent months, the communist island is now betting on the return of tourist groups from Russia, based on the increase in air connections between the two countries.

In line, the Conviasa company of Venezuela – another Russian ally – has been proposing Caracas-Havana-Moscow flights since mid-June, while direct trips between the Russian capital and the Varadero resort will resume from July.

Vivas confirms that “We are seeing more participation from Russian tourists” in Trinidad, while receiving about twenty Muscovites in his restaurant.

Tourism workers in Trinidad also note an increase in visitors from Turkey. “Before, the Turks were rarely seen… now many groups come”says Vivian Maité Hernández, a painter who works in a crafts store.

To satisfy these new customers, some artisans from the town have begun to include, among the already usual paintings of classic American cars or portraits of Che Guevara, new designs such as the “Fatima’s hand”, symbol of protection in the Middle East.

Source: AFP

Source: Gestion

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