Cuban tourism down by 12 pct as COVID-19 rages across globe

Source: Xinhua | 2020-03-16

The Cuban Tourism Ministry said Saturday that as the novel coronavirus rages worldwide, the country's tourism industry has seen a decrease of 12 percent so far in March, with major cancellations from Canadian and Italian tour operators.

"Cuba continues to be a safe country. The island keeps open to foreign visitors. Tourists are welcome here," Barbara Cruz, head of merchandising at the Tourism Ministry, told reporters at a news conference.

Cuba received 98 percent of tourists expected to arrive in the country for the first two months of the year, she added.

"Cuba has medical personnel in all tourist facilities, and isolated areas have been set up for the treatment of suspected cases of the novel coronavirus," said Grisel Lopez, head of quality control at the Tourism Ministry.

"Cuba complies with the International Health Regulations, and the prevention and control plan seeks to maintain high hygiene standards in tourist facilities nationwide," she said.

Cuban tourism industry represents a big proportion of hard currency for the Caribbean island but dropped in 2019 partially due to the U.S. sanctions.

Earlier this year, the Cuban government said the country expected to receive 4.5 million travelers in 2020.