In 2023, the number of international tourists visiting Cuba increased by 151% compared to the previous year, with a total of 2.4 million travelers. However, this increase fell short of the Cuban government's objective of welcoming 3.5 million visitors.
The figures were also 42.8% lower than the number of tourists who visited the country before the pandemic, according to the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI).
This is the second consecutive year that Cuban tourism has failed to reach its annual tourist target. In 2022, the country hosted 1.6 million visitors, falling short of its goal of 1.7 million.
In 2023, the top source markets for Cuban tourism were Canada (936,436), Russia (184,819), the United States (159,032), Spain (89,285), and Germany (69,475). Among these countries, Russian tourists showed the most significant increase in visits to Cuba compared to 2022, with a rise of almost 340%. Additionally, the Cuban community abroad significantly contributed to the tourism industry by accounting for 358,481 out of the 2.4 million international visitors.
According to data from ONEI, Cuba received the highest number of international visitors in March (263,465), followed by December (259,139) and January (249,215). The peak season for tourism in Cuba is from November to March.
Despite being a popular destination, the Cuban tourism industry has not yet fully recovered from the pandemic and has not reached the 4.5 million tourists it received in 2019. This is in contrast to other similar travel destinations in the region, such as, for example, Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and Cancún (Mexico), which are currently experiencing record-high numbers of visitors.