«Breaking News» Cuba was flooded by a record 4.75 million visitors in 2018

Cuba was flooded by a record number of visitors in 2018, with 4.75million tourists exploring the colourful country.

Government officials revealed tourism is up almost 60 per cent from four years ago, with this largely down to greater arrivals on cruise ships.

It's estimated that the number of passenger ships docking at Cuba's Havana port has grown by 48 per cent, with the majority of liners sailing in from the U.S. 

Cuba was flooded by a record number of visitors in 2018, with 4.75 million tourists exploring the colourful country

Although the influx of visitors is positive for Cuba, analysts say that the day-tripping cruise ship passengers fail to add much to the island nation's economy with no accommodation or meals out needed.

The number plane arrivals to Cuba was said to have dropped by six per cent in the past year.

This meant, overall, fewer tourists stayed at Cuban hotels and bed-and-breakfasts.

Canada remains Cuba's top tourist market, with 1.1 million Canadians visiting in 2018.

The commercial director of Cuba's tourism ministry, Michel Bernal, said that the spots that worry the country most in terms of low visitor numbers are the five main European markets - Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Germany. 

He says this is where the tourism ministry will concentrate its main efforts next year.  

Meanwhile, the body will also look at developing potential markets such as China, Japan, India and South Africa.

Although the influx of visitors is positive for Cuba, analysts say that the day-tripping cruise ship passengers fail to add much to the island nation's economy with no accommodation or meals out needed

Mr Bernal noted that there were more Cubans living overseas who were returning to their homeland for visits. 

Numbers were up by 17 per cent to 585,600 in 2018 but like the cruise ship passengers, most of them did not check into hotels during their visits, staying with friends or family instead. 

Overall tourism arrivals are expected to rise seven per cent next year to 5.1 million.

Cuba's tourism took a hit in late 2017 from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Irma and tighter U.S. travel restrictions imposed by the Trump administration.

The climate only started recovering in the second quarter this year, Mr Burnel said.

Over recent years Cuba has been busy building and renovating hotels to cater to a boom in tourism and brace for an even bigger one that would come with the lifting of the decades-old U.S. trade embargo.  

Link hienalouca.com

https://hienalouca.com/2018/12/21/cuba-was-flooded-by-a-record-4-75-million-visitors-in-2018/
Main photo article Cuba was flooded by a record number of visitors in 2018, with 4.75million tourists exploring the colourful country.
Government officials revealed tourism is up almost 60 per cent from four years ago, with this largely down to greater arrivals on cruise ships.
It’s estimated that the number...

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Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.

Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca





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