From our Bureau of Apartheid Tourism with some assistance from our Russification of Cuba Bureau
Castro, Inc. hopes to lure over 200,000 Russians to its apartheid tourist enclaves this year, a number far below the million of Canadians who still flock to the totalitarian hellhole for “dream holidays.” Meanwhile, other Europeans are staying away, probably because of growing discontent with Cuba’s crappy hotels rather than any moral qualms about supporting a brutal dictatorship. So, Canadians, hop to it ! Castro, Inc. needs you. Come on down!
Loosely translated from CiberCuba
The Cuban government estimates that more than 200,000 Russian tourists will visit the country this year, as the use of MIR cards came into effect at the end of 2023.
“The influx of travelers currently exceeds the record figures dating back to 2019, with more than 184 thousand visitors,” said Juan Carlos García Granda, Minister of Tourism, during the Moscow International Travel and Tourism Exhibition (MITT).
According to the sector’s head, “this payment method could facilitate the stay of customers,” as reported by the news agency Prensa Latina.
Cuba has around 20,000 payment terminals at various points of sale for products and services located in tourist destinations, and so far, more than 50,000 successful transactions have been made, which is a competitive advantage, García pointed out.
During the Moscow tourism fair, Cuba’s stand provides information about tourist packages designed for Russians. Among the proposals are excursions, especially nautical ones, which are among the favorites of tourists from that nation.
Since 2023, Russia has been considered the third-largest source of visitors to Cuba.
However, the country received fewer than two and a half million visitors, barely 70 percent of the 3.5 million tourists that the government had planned.
Cuba, facing one of the worst economic crises in its history, is struggling to revive one of the key sectors of the economy.
Recently, the German airline TUI announced the suspension of flights to Varadero starting in May due to a lack of passengers.
The company, a leader in vacation travel in Europe, stated that there will be no flights to the Cuban resort from Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, and Belgium.
The ghettoization continues at full speed.
Maybe the mammy shtick has grown too stale, not to mention lame.