A total of 399, 272 Canadian tourists visited Cuba until last March, 103.2% compared to the same period in 2023, to occupy first place in the arrival of international arrivals to the island, with which Canada reaffirms itself as the first issuer of vacationers to this destination.
According to figures released by the National Office of Statistics and Information of Cuba (ONEI) in the first quarter of this year the total number of international travelers who arrived in the largest of the Antilles reached 983,261, a growth of 6.1%, of which 809 238 corresponded to tourism, an increase of 7.5% compared to the same period in 2023.
Regarding the increase registered, the number of travelers exceeded the arrivals of the first quarter of 2023 and with regard to tourism the increase was 56,803 in relation to the same period last year. The second place in arrivals by country corresponded to the Cuban community residing abroad with a total of 75,386, followed by the Russian Federation with 66,887, the United States with 46,717, Germany 22,097 and France 19,377, England 16,719, Mexico 14,689, Spain 14 036, Argentina 12,753 and other nations for a total of 121,305.
These figures show that the island's leisure industry is registering a gradual recovery and that by the end of this year it may reach the figure forecast by the Ministry of Tourism (Mintur) of over three million visitors.
Regarding the Canadian market, the statistics recorded in the first quarter of this year reaffirm its position as the first issuer of tourists to Cuba, a place it has occupied for around three decades and, according to recent statements by the head of Mintur, Juan Carlos García Granda, to this magazine, this year the arrival of vacationers from that northern nation of America must exceed one million travelers.