In addition, the $30 tourist health fee will be waived and payments in euros and Canadian currency will be authorized.
14ymedio, Havana, 1 May 2025 — With a list of proposals that promise “different times” for the Cuban tourism sector, on Wednesday Prime Minister Manuel Marrero opened the International Tourism Fair (FitCuba). Transactions in Canadian dollars and euros, cancellation of health fees at airports and rental of tourist facilities are some of the measures announced by the Prime Minister, who assured that the recovery of the sector has become a “question of honor.”
China, the invited country, has been the privileged partner during this edition of the Fair, which welcomes 850 international participants and 2,000 national ones. Both governments signed letters of intent to lease the Copacabana hotel, owned by the Cubanacan group and located in Miramar, Havana, to Beijing. “As a sign of reciprocity, Cuba decided to eliminate the visa requirement for holders of ordinary passports from the People’s Republic of China in 2024, and dedicated the Fair to China as the guest of honor,” added Marrero.
The Prime Minister also promised – with his “bold” and “different” strategy but closely controlled by the State to stimulate foreign investment – “facilities for trading in foreign currencies,” the opening of new air routes, such as flights to Germany from November onwards, and the elimination, as of Thursday, of the health charge applied to travelers in airports, ports and marinas.
The minister also announced more special economic zones with benefits for investors
This payment, of 30 US dollars or its equivalent, was implemented in all international terminals following the coronavirus pandemic, and, with its cancellation, authorities hope to create an incentive for tourists to continue arriving on the Island.
The minister also announced the creation of more special economic zones with benefits for investors, such as Mariel, although this has not yielded the expected results. It was initially expected to raise some $2.5 billion annually, but barely reached a total of $3.5 billion during its first 10 years of life.
He also said that the Government’s plan is to involve both the State and private sectors in tourism development, as well as “improving payment systems and incentives” for workers in this sector. These are all measures with which the Regime, accustomed to restricting the freedom of management especially of Cuban entrepreneurs, has been cautious.
In fact, Marrero offered “greater autonomy for exporting companies and businesses with foreign capital” but did not mention greater freedoms for private individuals, who even depend on the State to import their goods.
With more prominence in speeches on the sector than the Minister of Tourism himself, Juan Carlos García Granda, Marrero – the former head of the portfolio – said that “at different times, different solutions are imposed. Cuba is more than sun and beach; we offer ecotourism, rural tourism, cultural, heritage, sports, health, scientific, cruises and more,” he added.
“Although the problems will not be solved overnight, these concrete steps will allow us to move forward”
“Although the problems will not be solved overnight, these concrete steps will allow us to move forward,” he explained, and he connected the strategies to attract tourists with the investments needed to improve the national electricity system.
Although his speech was full of references to a reform in the management of the sector, the plans for Tourism are still part of the usual strategy, which has not worked so far: “correct distortions and revive the economy.” According to economist Pedro Monreal, Tourism made a “loose update of the official report on a failed bet, and there is an absence of a credible proposal of the tourism-development relationship in the post ’Ordering Task’ era.”
With a “display of tradition and protocol” in the fortress of La Cabaña, as described by Cubadebate itself, the Minister of Tourism also proposed to several member countries of ALBA* the creation of a multi-destination tourist plan that includes tours not only on the Island but also in other countries in the region.
The need for change is becoming inexcusable now that Tourism is unlikely to reach the target of 2.6 million visitors in 2025, despite the fact that the failures of the last two years have forced it to lower the goal. Until the end of March, which is the end of the high season, Cuba received only 571,772 travelers – 30% less than in 2024 for the same period – and, in the coming summer months, when the traffic of travelers decreases, the numbers promise to be worse.
In that quarter, none of the top ten countries managed to increase the number of travelers compared with the same quarter of 2024. And China, which the authorities strive to present as a growing market, is not even among the first.
In recent years hundreds of rental houses and hostels for foreigners have disappeared
The State is not alone in suffering the debacle. In recent years, hundreds of rental houses and hostels for foreigners have disappeared or moved to other businesses due to the decline in tourism. For the renters of private homes that resist, more bad news comes to cloud the panorama. Airbnb, the hosting platform used by many of them, has decided to suspend payments to Cuba unless landlords have overseas accounts.
“In accordance with recent US federal regulations, we have notified hosts in Cuba that they must add a new payment method to their account in order to continue hosting on Airbnb. We are working with hosts and providing clear instructions on how to update their accounts and regain access. In addition, we would like to point out that we have already processed the payments corresponding to future confirmed reservations using the current payment method,” the company told El Toque.
* ALBA is an organization created for the political and economic cooperation of Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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