The international tourism system in Cuba comprises 44 main entities. Of these, 33 are directly run by the Ministry of Tourism, eight by Gaviota, and three by the Historian's Office.

The Ministry of Tourism has six hotel companies: Cubanacán, Gran Caribe, Horizontes, Islazul, Turismo y Salud, and Las Terrazas; three recreation and restaurant entities; two transportation companies; five receptive and travel agencies; two tourism store chains; two water sports chains; and 13 logistics and support entities.

The Gaviota Group manages a hotel chain, a non-hotel services entity, a travel agency, two transportation companies, one retail store chain, a water sports chain and a support and services entity.

The Havana City Historian's Office combines accommodation and non-hotel services in a single company, complemented by a travel agency and a transportation company.

Additionally, the Campismo Popular campsite agency has three facilities geared to international tourism.

In 1990, Cuba received 340,000 foreign tourists, with international tourism revenues totaling 243 million USD.

In the year 2000, with 1,773,986 international visitors, gross revenues totaled 1.948 billion dollars; in 2001, with 1,774,541 visitors, 1.846 billion dollars came into the country; and in 2002, with 1,683,716 visitors, 2 billion dollars. The forecast for 2003 is 1.9 million international visitors, with a proportionally higher amount of revenues.

In 1990, Cuba ranked 23rd among the 25 top tourist destinations in the Americas; in 2001, it occupied the ninth place.

A total of 13.6 million visitors were received between 1990 and 2002.

Cuba has become the leading Caribbean destination for Canadians, Italians and Spaniards, and ranks number two for Germans.

The tourism industry's share in the country's total foreign revenue rose from 4% in 1990 to 41% in 2001.

The number of rooms for international tourism has more than tripled, from 12,900 rooms in 1990 to 40,000 today.

The bulk of the capital invested in the sector is Cuban.

Most of the investments in hotels have taken place in eight tourism areas, where 92% of the total number of rooms are concentrated. These are the City of Havana, Varadero, Jardines del Rey, Santa Lucía, Holguín, Santiago de Cuba, the south-central coast (Trinidad-Cienfuegos), and the Los Canarreos Archipelago.

In 1990, there were 17 four- and five-star hotels. Today, there are 102 hotels in these categories, with 26,000 rooms, representing two-thirds of the total hotel capacity.

There have also been considerable efforts made to expand non-hotel services, providing tourists with a wide array of options, including restaurants, retail stores, tourist transportation, live music venues, museums, specialized clinics, water sports, other sports, facilities for conventions and conferences, cultural functions, etc.

Cuba offers a wide range of destinations and a great many possibilities for travelers. The friendliness and hospitality of its people, the interest sparked by the Revolution, the country's achievements in various fields and the paths followed in its social development: these are all major attractions and will become even more so, along with the high quality of its health care services and security, the protection of the environment, and the spirit of solidarity and cooperation with the islands of the Caribbean and other tourism destinations in the region, which boast excellent natural resources and facilities for multi-destination travel.

Direct employment in the tourism sector has grown in recent years from 54,000 to 100,000 jobs, while indirect employment (corresponding to national production for tourism, according to recent studies) rose from 30,000 to close to 200,000. In total, over 200,000 new jobs have been directly and indirectly created.

University graduates make up 20% of the work force in the tourism industry. At the beginning of the last decade, it was estimated that there were only 2,500 university graduates working in tourism. Today, there are 20,000, eight times more, thanks to the priority placed on tourism in the allocation of highly qualified human resources, as well as the workers coming from other sectors, particularly in the most difficult years of the special period.

In 1994, the different entities responsible for the training of tourism workers were integrated into a single system. The current training system is made up of 19 schools throughout the country, with a faculty of 1000 professors and instructors, and a total of 108,332 graduates in different areas during these years.

Since the year 2000, travel packages in the euro zone have been sold in this currency. The euro has been circulating in Varadero since June of 2002 and in Jardines del Rey and Cayo Largo since November of that year, with great acceptability; this practice will be gradually expanded.

Cuba participates in the main international tourism fairs, with stands and promotional campaigns in specialized publications with a wide circulation in Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Spain and Mexico.

The Congress of the International Federation of Tourism Journalists and Writers (FIJET) was organized and held in Varadero.

The annual convention of one of the world's biggest tour operators, TUI Inside, was also held in Cuba, with 600 travel agents in attendance.

There are 12 Cuban tourism promotion offices operating abroad, in Montreal, Toronto, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, the United Kingdom and Russia.

Sixty percent of the tourists who come to Cuba must travel on long-distance flights, which means that between 14 and 16 hours pass from the time they leave their homes and the time they check in their hotels. The development of various tourism destinations in the country and the time factor for the tourists has been the main reasons for increasing the number of international airports in recent years. The country's airport capacity has expanded three-fold between 1990 and 2002.

Presently, there are 11 international airports, following the recent inauguration of the newest one in Jardines del Rey.

A total of 61 airlines fly to Cuba, 23 with regularly scheduled flights and 38 with charter planes.

In 2002, a total of 1,677,643 visitors were received through the country's airports.

Cubana Airlines transports 17% of international tourists.

The tourism development during these years has required the country to make a great effort in terms of investment.

From 1990 until today, some 27,000 new hotel rooms have been built, along with other constructions related to technical infrastructure, non-hotel services and supporting facilities.

Technical infrastructure investments involving electricity, water supply, sewage systems, communications, paved and unpaved roads have totaled one billion in all, including 363 million USD; 500 million have been invested in airports; and 783 million, including 300 million USD, have been invested in supporting and non-hotel services.

Tourism has created a demand that has contributed to the revitalization of other sectors of the country's economy. The policy implemented has been aimed at supporting national production intended to meet the requirements of tourism, while observing their competitiveness, stability and quality.
In the early 1990s, national producers could supply only 12% of the purchases made by the tourism sector. In 1999, they covered 51% of those needs, and last year, as was already said, they managed to meet 68% of the demand of tourism entities.

It is with great optimism and confidence in the shinning economic future of the country that we are inaugurating this hotel and this tourism area today, for peaceful, safe and healthy tourism that can be enjoyed by children and families, young people, adults and senior citizens; for tourism aimed at wholesome recreation, culture and leisure; for tourism without casinos and gambling; for tourism without unemployed people and beggars; for tourism without drugs and crime, in the country that is advancing with giant steps, unstoppable, towards the highest possible degree of comprehensive general culture.

Taken from the speech of Fidel Castro, at the inauguration of Playa Pesquero five-star Hotel. January 21, 2003.