MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Improving numbers in tourism still below Cuban gov't's projections

Cuba is going through a shortage of supplies, particularly food

Cuban tourism authorities have confirmed 128,159 foreign travelers had visited the country for leisure purposes during March of 2022, which represented 58.7% of the Government's projections.

Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Tuesday said there had been growth compared to 2021. He added the current month of April would be “better than March,” which “ratifies a trend of a gradual recovery in this sector.

However, Marrero stressed that ”the current situation that, from the financial point of view, the country is facing, prevents it from importing resources and raw materials to be able to assume all the commitments and actions of the Plan [to improve tourism],“ Marrero was quoted as saying by State-run outlets.

Deputy Prime Minister Alejandro Gil also pointed out there was an overall ”increase in the country's foreign currency income.“ In March there was a ”fulfillment of the export plan, the gradual recovery of tourism, the control of prices to be able to combat the inflationary effect, and the prioritized attention to communities and people in vulnerable situations,“ he added.

Cuba is going through a shortage of supplies, particularly food, in addition to rampant inflation which the country blames on multiple causes ranging from US sanctions to the COVID-19 pandemic and other domestic issues.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel insisted Cuba's economic strategy needs to be in line with the Government's ”Marxist point of view.”  (Source: ANSA).