From our Bureau of Great Disappointments in Apartheid Tourism with some assistance from our Bureau of Refugees Who Fund the Dictatorships From Which They Have Supposedly Fled
Castro, Inc. sustained heavy losses in its apartheid tourism racket over first three months of 2024, attracting fewer than a million foreigners (809,238) which is only 25% of the 3.5 million tourists they hope to attract this year. Boo hoo. How sad. As usual, Canada was the top provider of tourists (399,272), with Russia a distant second (75,386), and the U.S. coming in third (46,717). And how about Cuban diaspora Yo-Yos, you ask? Curious? See below:
Well, since they aren’t counted as tourists, they aren’t factored into the statistics above. But the sad, sad truth is that nearly half a million (475,386) Yo-Yos visited Cuba during this same time period, outnumbering every other nationality on earth. So, while over half a million Cubans have fled the island since 2022 and applied for asylum, another half million flew back during the first three months of 2024, loaded with goodies. Crazy behavior, for sure.
Abridged and loosely translated from Periodico Cubano
49.3%, nearly half, of the tourists who arrived in Cuba in the first quarter of 2024 are Canadians, which continues to highlight the high dependence on a single foreign visitor market.
According to data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (Onei), during the historically busiest quarter from January to March due to being within the so-called high season, a total of 399,272 tourists from Canada visited the island.
In general terms, there were 809,238 international visitors received, which is around 25% of the annual target of 3.2 million tourists set by the Castro regime for the entire year. However, historical data shows that the second and third quarters of the year present significantly lower figures than the first, and then towards the end of the year, there is a recovery with the arrival of autumn-winter in the northern hemisphere of the planet.
Apart from Canada, the other major sources of tourism were Russia, with 75,386 visitors, and the United States, with 46,717. Mexico and Argentina also showed significant increases, with rises of 38% and 44%, respectively.
Notably, Spain has dropped to ninth place, indicating a shift in dynamics within the European tourism market. In this particular case, the elimination of the visa waiver program (ESTA) to the United States, to which Spaniards visiting Cuba are subject, stands out. This measure by the U.S. government, due to Cuba being on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, is hindering Spanish visits to the island.
The second largest group of visitors is the Cuban diaspora, with 475,386 people. Although this figure shows a reduction compared to the previous year, it remains a crucial factor for the surge in flights to Cuba and the customs revenues collected.
Despite efforts to revitalize the tourism sector, the projected figures for 2024 still do not reach pre-pandemic levels, with about 4.5 million visitors. Other Caribbean destinations like Punta Cana and Cancun, unlike Cuba, have already reached post-pandemic historic highs.
That’s why the Ministry of Tourism is focused on increasing direct air connections to facilitate access to the island and attract more visitors, a key strategy to achieve the proposed goals.
The Yo-Yos are not exactly crazy, but they are certainly incorrigible (as Borges famously said of the peronistas in Argentina). The only brake on them is how much they can afford to spend on trips and gifts of money and goods, and the more their numbers grow with new arrivals, the more Castro, Inc. will profit.
As for Canadians, maybe they’re under an evil spell, because their behavior IS crazy, even apart from morals or ethics. They’d do far better going to the Dominican Republic, for instance. Beyond disgusting.
You know, it’s not like I’m shocked by any means, but half a million Cuban visitors in 3 months is pretty extreme. You bet the regime wants as much emigration as possible.
Funny how things have changed over the decades. Leaving Cuba was considered an act of treason. Gusano! Traidor! was the old charge to those who left. Then it changed to bienvenidos trajadores de gusanos. Now I believe it is agents of the government (old security agents) who immigrate to the US for the express purpose of sending cash and goods to Cuba. Basically spies being let into the USA. Communist spies have sadly outwitted both the Cuban diaspora and the USA since the start of the revolution.