by Yosley Carrero
HAVANA, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Canadian tourist Dorothy Graham arrived in Cuba's capital Havana three days ago on a family getaway.
The 43-year-old resident of Montreal, who is traveling with her husband and two teenage sons, told Xinhua the whole family is keen to learn about Cuba's cultural heritage.
"We have been walking around Havana's Old Quarter, taking pictures of old buildings," she said. "People are nice and the food is delicious."
Elsewhere in Havana, Mexican tourist Rodrigo Jaramillo, 28, was waiting for the bus that would take him and his friends to the seaside resort of Varadero in western Matanzas province.
"I am looking forward to drinking a Cuban mojito on the beach and dancing to salsa music," he said. "I am going to make the most of this trip."
Cuba's tourism industry is gradually recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, which dealt a big blow to an economy already reeling from U.S. economic sanctions.
So far this year, the number of foreign visitors is about to reach 1 million, with Canada still being the country's top source of international tourists, according to Cuban Tourism Minister Juan Carlos Garcia.
"Canadians account for more than 50 percent of tourist arrivals," he said at Cuba's International Tourism Fair Tuesday, adding it was necessary to increase the number of airlines flying to Cuba to see more growth in the industry.
To that end, the government is already taking steps to attract more travelers from Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia and Argentina, among other countries, he said.
Suyen Rivero, director of business at the Cuban Tourism Ministry (Mintur), said the island is also trying to draw foreign investment to develop the tourism sector.
"We are seeing increasing interest among foreign companies in investing in Cuba, particularly in the field of tourism," she said on the sidelines of the tourism fair taking place in Havana.
According to official figures, Cuba's foreign investment portfolio in the field of tourism includes 87 projects.
Today, 18 foreign hotel chains operate properties on the island, Mintur said.
In 2022, Cuba welcomed approximately 1.7 million foreign tourists, less than the 2.5 million the government had projected.
This year, the hope is that 3.5 million tourists will visit the Caribbean nation, marking a steady recovery towards the pre-pandemic levels of nearly 4 million foreign visitors a year. ■
