Despite tightening of US blockade, tourism is growing, Cuban minister affirms

Manuel Marrero, Cuba´s Minister of Tourism, said in Havana that despite the tightening of the American blockade against Cuba, and in particular the measures aimed at damaging the sector, a good high season and a year-end with about 1.6 percent growth in visitors is expected.

In statements to the press on the occasion of Cuban Tourism Day, which is celebrated for the first time, Marrero stressed that such results are due to the hard work developed by his institution with the support of others such as the Ministry of Transport, hotel chains and the media, in finding alternatives and fostering the benefits of the country.

This has been a very complicated year because the U.S. government has insisted on tightening the blockade and especially the measures intended to affect tourism, and so abruptly suspended cruise ship travel on June 5 and more recently regular flights to Cuba, except Havana, Marrero pointed out.

He noted that 56 measures have been adopted and the results are beginning to be noticed, for example, in the fact that despite the suspension of cruises, yachts and flights to most of the tourist destinations in Cuba, tourist arrivals by air are growing by 10 percent, and we plan to close the year with 4.300.000 visitors, for about 1.6 percent growth.

In our recent visit to China we saw an important interest in increasing the visits of its nationals to our country, in the same way that in other destinations there are many people eager to come to Cuba, but do not find the how, so together with the Ministry of Transport, we are prioritizing airlines, facilitating the conditions for them to fly here, even lowering prices, the Cuban minister stressed.

Without failing to recognize the impact of the U.S. blockade, Marrero expressed very optimistic that there are many things that can be done, we are seeing the first results and sure that the high season will be good and will let us recover, to have a good 2020 in visitors arrival.

He also thanked the media for their support in fostering the goodness of Cuba, the intentionality with which they work with a view to breaking a matrix of opinion of the enemies of the Revolution aimed at highlighting shortcomings and deficiencies, but tourists themselves have been witnessing the reality and become promoters.