By Magdiel Jorge Castro (El Toque)
HAVANA TIMES – The Cuban government has projected a 16% drop in tourist arrivals to the island for 2024. Consequently, the expected number of visitors has been revised from 3.2 million (as of December 2023) to 2.7 million.
This decrease aligns with figures published by the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), which show a downward trend in visitor arrivals during the first seven months of 2024 compared to the previous year. From January to July 2024, Cuba recorded 1,463,097 international visitors, 15,263 fewer than the same period in 2023, representing a decline of 0.8%.
In July 2023, 190,747 visitors arrived on the island, 37,000 more than in July 2024. The data reveals a downward trend starting in April 2024 and a stagnation in the country’s tourism industry (see Table 1).
In 2023, the tourism industry also failed to meet the Cuban government’s initial expectations. In December 2022, the goal was set to reach 3.5 million tourists; however, the final figure from ONEI reflected a 30% shortfa
