Cuba expects 35% increase in tourist flow from Russia in 2024

A total of 185,000 Russian tourists visited Cuba last year, and Cuba expects a 35% increase in the tourist flow in 2024, Cuba's Ambassador to Russia Julio Antonio Garmendia Pena said.

"A total of 185,000 tourists [from Russia] visited our country in 2023. If there had been more flights, there would have been more tourists. We hope that this figure will reach 250,000 people this year, but the potential, of course, is much higher," he said at a roundtable meeting on sustainable tourism in Latin America.

The diplomat said there was not a single spare seat on the plane when he last flew from Moscow to Cuba and all seats were occupied by Russian tourists. He said it shows that Cuba is highly popular with Russian tourists.

"Our hotel infrastructure is well developed. We now have 82,500 rooms in 478 hotels. Seventy-five percent of rooms are in 4-5 star hotels," Pena said.

Cuba is now actively working on improving the quality of services it provides, he said.

"The Mir payment system is working there, and it's a very important thing to Russian tourists," Pena said.

Pena also said the country plans to draw Russian businesses to invest in the development of tourism in Cuba for Russians.