Cuba's Tourism Sector 'Alive and Kicking' as Crisis Tests the Economy
Cuba’s tourism minister has declared the sector “alive and kicking” even as the island grapples with its deepest economic crisis since the Cold War, a collapse the government insists is being halted with signs of recovery on the horizon. The backdrop is stark: a pandemic that shuttered borders, the continuing impact of harsh U.S. travel policies, and a broader struggle to unlock foreign currency needed to fix aging infrastructure, energy blackouts, and vital public services. The minister, Juan Carlos García Granda, frames tourism as Cuba’s economic locomotive—an assertion he argues remains valid despite daunting headwinds. He points to the second quarter of the current year as a potential inflection point, where he says positive trends should materialize after a brutal 2024.