Varadero expects to reach a record 1.6 million tourists by the end of 2017

The tourist pole of Varadero, in the west of Cuba, hopes to reach the record of 1.6 million tourists at the end of 2017, after having experienced a good start to the season high, which started last November 1st.

Havana, Nov 15 (EFE) .- The tourist pole of Varadero, in western Cuba, expects to reach the record of 1.6 million tourists at the end of 2017, after having experienced a good start to the high season, which began on November 1.

At the moment, Varadero, the most visited sun and beach destination in Cuba about 150 kilometers from Havana, has an average of about 20,000 daily customers, the delegate of the Tourism Ministry of the province of Matanzas, Ivis Fernández, told the media.

Varadero has received so far year 1.4 million tourists, surpassing the number of total visitors last year, which shows that the destination has already recovered after the passage in September of Hurricane Irma.

El Hurricane caused major damage in 16 of the 52 hotels in Varadero, where close to 25% of the destination's residential plant was affected, although it is recovered a hundred times One hundred.

In the weeks following the passage of Irma, there were cancellations of trips, but the destination is able to assume the committed figures and reach 30,000 customers a day. during the high season (November to April).

"We hope to celebrate the end of the year with more than 34,000 clients in Varadero," the head of Tourism in Matanzas province told Efe. where Varadero is located.

The main market for Varadero is Canada, which occupies around 35% of the quota, although the number of tourists from Germany, Russia, Spain and Italy.

With more than 20,500 rooms available, Varadero expects to add 3,000 more for next year, with the construction of a new hotel and the expansion of others and existing.

Tourism has become one of the most stable sources of foreign currency for Cuba, which has been booming for three years in which it accumulates record in the arrival of visitors, which this year expect to exceed 4.7 million.

Yes it is expected to decrease in number of American visitors to the island, after the travel alert that identifies Cuba as an unsafe destination issued by the Government of Donald Trump, which has also imposed new restrictions on individual travel.

So far this year, more than half a million Americans have visited Cuba, a historical record that represents a growth of almost double the previous year.