Cuba’s tourism sector has been dealt a crushing blow. It is undaunted and unbowed, a point underscored by that country’s tourism minister, Juan Carlos García Granda. He’s adamant that in spite of the challenges outlined by global diplomacy and economic forces, the industry is indeed “alive and kicking.” García Granda’s remarks come in the wake of a tumultuous period for Cuba’s tourism, which saw visitor numbers plummet due to the COVID-19 pandemic and strained diplomatic relations, particularly with the United States.
Just two years ago, Cuba hosted almost five million tourists. That was a record high, even before the global health crisis arrived on our shores. García Granda further stresses that the burden of the fallout of these recent events has not only been shouldered by the Cuban government. Rather, he notes a more even distribution of the burden across the tourism industry, impacting different players at the stage.
In January 2021, the United States included Cuba on the SSOT list. This decision struck a big blow to the coastal island’s budding tourism economy. President Biden took Cuba off the list of state sponsors of terrorism shortly after his inauguration. The prior administration under Donald Trump had put that designation back in place. García Granda insists that these political strokes of the pen have had dire consequences on Cuba’s capacity to bring tourists.
“In Trump’s first term, they took 263 measures against Cuba, the majority aimed at destroying Cuban tourism.” – Juan Carlos García Granda
García Granda points out that these measures are damaging to tourism. He argues that the Cuban government has begun to turn back the clock on expanding this space. Further, he thinks it’ll take until the second trimester of 2024 for sufficient improvement to start showing up in the statistics. This is indicative of the impressive recovery across the sector.
The minister underscores that Cuba’s booming tourism industry is key for economy of the island nation. It is back as the mainstay of foreign currency, next to remittances. Traditional sectors such as sugar, tobacco and nickel have been hit hard, making a robust tourism sector all the more critical.
To kickstart the new tourism push, an ambitious hotel-building initiative during the Obama administration was instituted in Havana and Varadero. García Granda concedes that one positive factor was unveiled during this time – a gap in the provision of hotels. He claims that absent U.S. barriers, Cuba would have been able to host another one million tourists per year.
“Without that, we could have counted on another one million tourists.” – Juan Carlos García Granda
One point of particular British interest that the minister mentioned is the new obstacles British and European travelers have been dealing with since January 12, 2021. This leaves many would-be travelers to Cuba having to reroute their trip through Spain, France, or Canada. This amendment follows restrictions that have influenced eligibility to utilize the U.S. Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
That’s in addition to the ban on U.S. cruise ships docking in Cuban ports, which has greatly complicated business for the industry. As García Granda notes, these limitations are peculiar hurdles that no other competitors must overcome.
“We face obstacles none of our competitors do.” – Juan Carlos García Granda
Even through these challenges, García Granda remains hopeful that the future of Cuban tourism is bright. He is convinced that more international companies start developing and investing that can trigger recovery. Today, more than 19 companies are already doing business in Cuba, stoking this potential fire. In fact, over 70% of Cuban tourism is currently managed with foreign investment, further emphasizing the need to revitalize this key sector.
“More than 70% of Cuban tourism is based in foreign investment.” – Juan Carlos García Granda
While acknowledging some public dissatisfaction amidst economic pressures, he reassures that Cubans remain committed to their work and are focused on overcoming challenges.
“Yes, there may be some indignation on the streets, but they’re still here. They’re still fighting, still working, still trying to help.” – Juan Carlos García Granda
García Granda continues to express optimism over hotel rooms and the recovery of tourism, more broadly fitting into a strategy for economic recovery.
“We are going to fill the hotels. We are going to get out of this economic situation and tourism will play its part.” – Juan Carlos García Granda