Cuban tourism falls 25 percentage points short of the government's target for 2025

The Cuban Government acknowledged this Thursday that the tourism sector is going through a "complex situation" and that it will not meet its forecasts for income and international visitors by about 25 percentage points in each case. The Minister of Economy and Planning, Joaquín Alonso, took stock of the situation of the former engine of the national economy when speaking before the plenary session of the National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP, unilateral parliament). According to the calculations of its department, revenue will reach $917.4 million, 75.8% of what was forecast, and the number of visitors will be around 1.9 million people, 73.1% of the state estimate for the entire year.

You can also read: IOM Asks for recognition of the contribution of migrants to societies and economies

If confirmed, this figure of travelers would be the worst annual record for the Cuban tourism sector since 2003, not counting the three years most affected by covid-19. In comparison, the island attracted about 4.6 and 4.7 million visitors in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The State Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) recently reported that between January and October the country received a total of 1,477,892 international visitors, 19.9% less than in the same period of 2024. The weakness of the Cuban tourism sector, the island's economic engine for years, has as its main factors the severe economic and energy crisis suffered by the country - which affects services and the experience -, the reduction of air routes and US sanctions. Tourism is fundamental to the Cuban government's economic recovery plans, due to its contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) and the inflow of foreign currency it represents, which is usually among the most important, along with professional services and remittances. Currently, the situation of tourism in Cuba contrasts with that of similar destinations in the Caribbean region, such as Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and Cancun (Mexico), which are registering historical highs of visitors after the pandemic.