Part 3/8:
Tourism has long been a significant component of Cuba’s economy, contributing approximately 8% to the GDP in 2023, with projections suggesting growth to nearly 9% in 2024. However, the COVID-19 pandemic drastically disrupted international travel, causing visitor numbers to plummet from nearly 5 million in 2019 to under 500,000 by 2021. Although figures improved to around 2.5 million visitors in 2023, this still reflects a gap of around 13 years in recovery for the tourism sector.