November, 2004

Cubanow.- By the end of 2004, Cuba will have received more than two million tourists, according to Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, who nevertheless recognized that Washington’s anti-Cuban measures have had a negative impact in that field.
He added that the two-million mark will probable be reached on December 20 th.

Marrero Cruz said that, from January to September of this year, one million 559 thousand 185 visitors came to the island, and stay-overs reached 11 million 202 thousand 588. In 2003, that number was 9 million 904 thousand 330 (a 13.1 percentage increase).

The minister explained that the tourists mostly come from Canada , Italy , Great Britain , Spain , and also from Germany and France .

Marrero Cruz told the press that, in spite of the positive statistics, the US blockade and the most recent anti-Cuban measures would probable affect the number of visits by Americans and Cuban-Americans, perhaps 30 percent less than in 2003.