Русский
Almost 113,000 Russian tourists visited Cuba in the first half of 2024, according to Cristina Leon Iznaga, a diplomat at the Cuban Embassy to Russia in Moscow. She said that Havana hopes that the figure will increase to 200,000 by the end of the year.
Iznaga said that “In January-June, Cuba was visited by 112,700 Russian tourists, up 67% on the same period last year. We’ll have attracted 200,000 Russian tourists by the end of 2024.” Russians are the third largest group of visitors, after Canadians and the Cubans who fly in from abroad, she said. The United States and Germany are the others in the top five.
In 2023, Cuba welcomed 184,800 Russian tourists, a record number which broke the pre-pandemic record of 178,000 in 2019, the Cuban Ministry of Tourism said.
Cuba has been under sanctions from the United States since 1962.
Russia provides direct flights to Havana from Moscow via Aeroflot. Cuban culture received an international boost several years ago with the release of the film “Buena Vista Social Club” the true story of elderly musicians who came together to perform traditional Cuban dance hall music one last time, only for their songs to reach an international audience, culminating in subsequent performances at Carnegie Hall.
Russia has long diplomatic, political and cultural ties with Cuba. The best time to visit Cuba is from November to April when long and sunny days are combined with dry weather, making it a pleasant time for tours on the island. However, temperatures are perfectly moderate all year long due to Cuba’s tropical climate, although the May-October period can include rainy days. The island is world famous for its excellent rums and cigars.
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