Cuba is suffering a dramatic decline in tourist activity that is negatively impacting its economy and future. And it is that currently the potential clients of the Caribbean country are opting for destinations such as Cancun, Mexico as well as Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.
Once considered the Jewel of the Caribbean, however, Cuba’s tourist awakening seems to be witnessing something more than a nightmare, as it is rapidly disappearing from the tourist map and from the interest of its potential visitors. Similarly, according to a recent report from Business Insider, travel agencies are removing the promotional packages of La Perla de la Antillas from their counters, opting instead to market destinations such as Punta Cana or Cancun. Tourism being the second largest source of foreign currency for Cuba, it was not expected to suffer one setback after another in recent years.
The tourist history of the homeland of José Martí is written with marked ups and downs, since since 1995, according to a publication of the specialized portal World Development.com, the island has only exhibited significant ascents from 2014 to 2018. Partial aerial view of the Malecón in Havana where you can see a desolate vehicular traffic due to lack of activity tour. Since 1995, income from tourism activity amounted to 1.10 billion dollars (one billion equals one billion), that is, around 3.6% of the gross national product, also known as GNP. In 26 years, the country’s dependence on tourism has decreased markedly. Before the outbreak of the global health situation, sales represented 2.65 billion dollars, corresponding to 2.6% of GNP. While in 2020, as expected, tourist sales plummeted due to global restrictions imposed by the health event that hit the planet. Of the 2.65 billion dollars (2019), only 1.15 billion remained. This represents a decrease of 56% in Cuba.
In the last year of this survey, sales represented 0.38 percent of GNP. Each visitor spends an average of 1,173 USD on their vacations in Cuba. On average, each of the tourists who arrived in 2021 spent about 1,114 US dollars. Points out the report of the aforementioned publication. Where tourism comes progress comes. The lack of tourists has a direct negative impact on the Cuban economy, which already faces significant challenges. With a tenuous experience and without a solid tourist industry, much less an important production, the absence of visitors translates into an even greater impoverishment for La Isla del Tesoro. The panorama in Havana is bleak. The streets, which used to be full of life and activity, are now deserted. Restaurants are empty and taxi drivers eagerly await the few tourists who still visit the island. The Malecón de La Habana, one of the main arteries of the capital, shows little traffic, an image that reflects the fuel crisis that the country is facing,” the Cuban portal has reported CiberCuba.com.
The economic situation has also led to a terrible devaluation of the Cuban currency. If at the end of 2022 24 pesos were needed to buy one euro, now 245 pesos are required. This devaluation has led to long lines at stores and banks, as well as a general shortage of basic products. A beautiful island, trapped in time, with a lot to offer, should manage this crisis in order to rise as an important destination in the Caribbean. One of the most affected pillars. The impact on the hotel sector is evident. Large chains such as Meliá International Hotels have had to reduce their rates in an attempt to attract more clients. However, even with lowered prices, occupancy has taken a nosedive as well. In the first half of the year, during the high season, it was barely 40%.
The decline of tourism in Cuba began in 2020 for the aforementioned reasons, and worsened in 2021 when the US included the tropical nation in its list of sponsors of terrorism, a decision that many consider unjustifiable since a country going through a precarious economic condition, How can you sustain anything? But anyway, inflation has been the latest financial setback, exacerbating a latent crisis that worsens frequently due to severity. Despite the situation, tourists who still visit Cuba experience, as is natural for a destination that respects itself, a less abrupt experience of the reality that Cuban citizens live. Although they may face shortages in some restaurants as well as power outages of both electricity and water. And in general, the tourist circuits are better supplied than the rest of the country.
However, the reality is undeniable and cannot be hidden either, Cuba is distancing itself from the world tourist map, remaining in last place in the measurement of the Ten Most Visited Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2022, below El Salvador, (in ninth place) a country that the Greater Antilles surpasses almost five times in territorial area. Cuba goes. Hard work awaits the Castro cabinet if its members wish to revive the dying Hospitality Industry in their beautiful nation. The country of good dancers from Son must focus on developing a sustainable production model, or else it is doomed to continue being poorer without tourism.
This is how the Cuban people and their authorities find themselves in an interlude that demands attention as well as urgent solutions, not only for the well-being of the tourism industry, but also for the future of Cuba as a whole, taking as a banner that where tourism arrives, progress comes.