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| A street in Cuba |
American tourists will likely become a more common sight in Cuba now that the U.S. plans on normalizing relations with the island, though it’s unclear in the short term whether their arrival will be loud or simply background noise.
Americans, including Cuban-Americans, have taken trips to Cuba for several years and visitation numbers show 2014 will set an embargo-era record. Many Europeans and Canadians have considered Cuba a favorite vacation spot for years.
President Obama’s decision to ease travel restrictions means there will be an increase in tourism, although limitations will remain. The new policy doesn’t mean people who never traveled to Cuba will suddenly decide to take a trip there or will even be allowed to.
Travel Leaders Group, one of America’s largest travel agencies, conducted a survey of its travel agents earlier this year and found that while 55.3% of respondents said they had clients entertaining the idea of a Cuban vacation, 44.6% indicated that interest hadn’t translated into a booking.
Tourism is a vital part of most Caribbean economies, and that is true in Cuba, as well. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which tracks economic data on destinations going back to 2004, Cuba tourism contributed 9.8% to its gross domestic product in 2014.
In 2013, Cuban tourism’s contribution to its GDP was 2.5%, less than Aruba’s (26.4%), Bahamas (20.4%), and the Dominican Republic’s (4.7%), for example. Cuba also ranks below these islands and others for tourism’s contribution to employment (9.8%).
Source:Skift
