- Title: Tourists avoid Cuba as crisis worsens without encouraging prospects
- Date: 19th December 2024
- Summary: HAVANA, CUBA (DECEMBER 18, 2024) (REUTERS) TOURISTS WALKING IN COLONIAL STREET VARIOUS OF TOURISTS VISITING COLONIAL CENTER VARIOUS OF ITALIAN TOURIST, NANDO DI FRANCESCO, FILMING STREET MUSICIANS WITH HIS MOBILE PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALIAN TOURIST, NANDO DI FRANCESCO, SAYING: "At this moment the situation here in Cuba is very difficult. The salary is very low, the
- Embargoed: 2nd January 2025 10:55
- Keywords: Cuba United States crisis tourism
- Location: HAVANA, CUBA / AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES
- City: HAVANA, CUBA / AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES
- Country: Cuba
- Topics: South America / Central America,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001813618122024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:As blackouts, food, fuel and labor shortages in Cuba grow more acute by the day, a trip to the Caribbean island has become a hard sell.
Cuban government statistics tell the story: Earlier this week, tourism minister Juan Carlos Garcia said Cuba saw 2.2 million international visitors this year, well short of its original goal of 3.2 million and less than half of pre-pandemic levels. Tourist arrivals to Cuba declined for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Unfortunately, Cuba is becoming every day more unique for all the wrong reasons, and thus more unattractive as a tourist destination," said Spadoni, an economist at Augusta University.
Three nationwide blackouts in the last months of 2024 touched virtually every facet of island life, including tourism. While some large hotels have generators, lower budget lodging and rental homes often do not, forcing hardship on guests. Air conditioning and hot water are often switched off during outages.
(Production: Alien Fernandez, Anett Rios, Nina Lopez, Hugo Monnet) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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