Tourist Interest in Cuba Surges from China Following Visa Exemption Announcement
In a surprising turn of events, tourist interest in Cuba has spiked among Chinese nationals following the announcement of visa exemption for Chinese citizens visiting the island. The news, which came from the Cuban government, has prompted a flurry of searches on the Ctrip travel platform, as reported by various Chinese media outlets.
Immediately after the announcement, searches for “hotels in Cuba” and “Cuban flights” saw a significant increase of over 40%, compared to the previous day, according to Global Times. Residents of Beijing and Shanghai, in particular, have shown a high level of enthusiasm for information about traveling to Cuba, as confirmed by Ctrip.
For those looking to book flights, Chinese travel platform Qunar revealed that a one-way ticket from Beijing to Havana costs around 8,200 yuan (approximately $1,132 USD), while the return trip is priced at about 5,700 yuan.
Although there are currently no direct flights between China and Havana, Air China is set to resume its Beijing-Havana route, via Madrid, on May 17. The airline notes that services had been temporarily suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite the distance and cost factors, Cuba has not been a popular destination for Chinese tourists until now. Qin Jing, general director of Public Affairs of Ctrip Group, noted that countries like Cuba, Mexico, and Brazil offer unique cultural and natural landscapes that appeal to Chinese travelers.
According to data from the Ministry of Tourism, Cuba had already welcomed over one million international tourists by the end of April 2024, with projections of reaching 3.5 million by the year’s end. This sudden surge in interest from Chinese tourists could potentially boost tourism numbers for the island nation in the coming months.