Cuba: Russians disappear from Cuban beaches – Tourism recovery threatened

When planes full of Russian tourists left Cuba this week as their holiday was overthrown by the war in Ukraine, it was a difficult day for Varadero resort, as it was a clear sign that the conflict would disrupt the island nation’s fragile economy. .

Varadero, a strip of white sand that stretches across the blue waters of the Caribbean, has always been a magnet for Russians seeking to escape the winter of the northern hemisphere.

In 2021, with most of the planet avoiding travel amid the coronavirus pandemic, visitors from Russia accounted for 40% of total arrivals in Cuba, according to government figures.

The beaches of Varadero, usually full of tourists at this time of year, are suddenly quiet, said Janet Costafreda, who sells souvenirs to tourists. “The Russians have been our main market for the last two years,” she said. “I’m worried because we see the future uncertain.”

At least 8,000 Russian holidaymakers rushed last week to find flights back to their homeland from Cuba after several Western countries closed their airspace to Russian aircraft in solidarity with Ukraine. Most Russia-Cuba flights have been suspended until recently.

This development means that Cuba will find it difficult to meet the target of 2.5 million tourist arrivals in 2022, explained Paolo Spandoni, a Cuban economics expert at Augusta University in Georgia. “The loss of the Russian market in 2022… will have a significant negative impact on the Cuban economy and in particular on the Cuban tourism industry,” Spandoni said.

Russians were expected to account for up to 20% of foreign tourists in 2022, Spandoni said, but their total number would be lower than that if the conflict in Ukraine continued.

Other travel agents interviewed by Reuters said they hoped an increase in the number of visitors from Canada and Europe would help alleviate the situation.

SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ