Cuban Tourism is up Last Year & First Quarter
Cuba’s Mintur (Ministry of Tourism) reported a 13% growth in Cuban tourism in 2016. The majority of which came from North America.
This first quarter has seen an increase of 15% over that. Canadians continue to the biggest source of tourists, but American tourists are increasing, even with trade restrictions, the embargo, etc.
Experts predict that in the course of the next 15 years, the number of tourists staying in hotels will triple, with a potential of 10 million tourists per year which will generate an income exceeding 9,000 million dollars.
Centering on development programs for the Cuban tourism sphere and the array of products, the experts say, “besides focusing on the product, brand, and destination, under the concept umbrella of territories with tourism preferences, which is one of the functions of Mintur, focus must also be on hotel lodging, nature, marine and navigational tourism, recreation, real estate development, camping and the entities that support those activities.”
Hotel rooms in Havana are already getting tight. With an expected tripling of tourists staying in hotels over the next 15 years, an additional 100,000 rooms are planned, spread out over a half dozen cities.
One thing planned that bothers me… Even with a drought that has plagued the country for a couple of years, Cuba plans 13 golf courses. 13 water-sucking golf courses for tourists while Cuban citizens suffer through water shortages.
Read the full story is here in Tourism Review.