Cuba is ready for receiving at least 200,000 Russian tourists this year, the Tourism Counselor of the Cuban Embassy to Russia, Cristina Leon, said on Monday.
According to the diplomat, from January 1 to March 31, 2024, the tourist flow of Russians to Cuba was 66,887 citizens, which she considered a record figure, since in the same term of 2023 the country welcomed 32,224 people, the website Tourbus.ru published on Monday.
To skyrocket tourist traffic, Cuban authorities are negotiating to increase the number of flights from the Russian Federation and attract investors and hotel companies from Russia to the country’s hotel sector, Leon uttered.
At present, there are direct flights from Russia to Havana, Varadero and Cayo Coco, in Cuba, with an almost maximum occupancy factor of 94%.
In 2019, before the pandemic, there were 18 weekly flights from Russia to Cuba. And now the authorities want to expand the geography of departures, exceeding the figure up to 20 weekly flights,” the Cuban official concluded.
It should be recalled that Cuba received 185,000 Russian tourists in 2023. This upturn is grounded in the activity of tour operators, mainly Pegas Touristik, which along with Nordwind airline pursues flight programs from Moscow to the popular resorts of Varadero and Cayo Coco.
(With information and photos from Prensa Latina)