Cuba may become one of the most popular tourist destinations RIA Novosti industry representatives. They believe that package sales will grow by at least 10-15 percent.
“The island is one of the top 5 most popular outing destinations for Russians for the New Year holidays …. We expect sales to increase at least by 10-15 percent, “the Intourist press service noted.
Anex Tour, in turn, expects a 30-35 percent increase in demand for tours. The tour operator explains their forecast by lifting the ban on travel around the country, in particular, on the territory of Havana, popular with Russians, as well as the abolition of quarantine for independent travelers.
The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) has clarified the rules for entering the republic from November 15 by publishing a memo on its website. According to the innovations, travelers traveling to Cuba must fill out the D'Viajeros electronic form in order to receive a QR code 72 hours, but no later than 12 hours before departure. To do this, you will need the tourist's passport data, the date and number of the flight, information about baggage and other data, in particular, the name of the medical document with which the passenger enters the country (vaccination certificate or PCR test).
Previously, for the entry of travelers, it was required to pass an additional PCR test upon entry, in particular for vaccinated tourists. Now it is enough to provide a so-called “health passport” or an international certificate of vaccination against COVID-19 with any drug recognized by Cuba – “Sputnik V” or any other Russian-made vaccine.
At the same time, unlike other foreign destinations, tours to Cuba, compared to 2019, either fell in price or practically did not change in price, while tours to other countries rose in price by 25 percent. This was announced by the executive director of ATOR Maya Lomidze.
Tourists come to Cuba not only to lie on the beach, but also for the unique climate, special flora and fauna. On the island, you can see and ride vintage cars, as well as chat with friendly locals. You should definitely bring world-famous cigars and rum as souvenirs.
“Cuba is attractive primarily for its tropical climate. Those who are not satisfied with Thailand's high humidity prefer Cuba. There is also a warm sea and delicious fruits. Quite an exotic country, more than friendly to Russian tourists, in spite of everything, in spite of all these twists and turns of the 90s, “- said the editor-in-chief of the Turizm.ru portal Alexey Peskov in an interview with Lenta.ru. p>
In recent years (excluding 2020), according to ATOR Vice President Dmitry Gorin, Cuba is at the peak of its development in terms of demand. In 2019, a record number of tourists from Russia arrived on the island – 178 thousand Russians, which is 30 percent more than in 2018. Experts believe that this tourist destination has every chance of becoming one of the most popular in 2022.