Tourism stagnates, fails to meet growth goals

Source : Johannes Werner Thu Sep 13, 12:05 pm EST
Following a tightening of U.S. restrictions last fall, Cuba will end this year with 4.75 million visitors, barely up from 4.7 million last year, and below the at least 5 million predicted by officials as recently as August.

Tourism slowdown in Cuba: Lobby of the Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski in Havana

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Economy

U.S. food export conference planned for Havana

The event is scheduled a couple of days after the U.S. midterm elections, which may tilt Congress towards U.S.-Cuba normalization Cuba opens railroads to private operators
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Companies

Event to launch France-based Cuba business group

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Politics

State Department lowers Cuba travel warning one notch

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LIFESTYLES

Tony Zamora, 1941-2018

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BLOG TICKER

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Data & Maps

Cuba’s crude oil and natural gas output has practically been stagnating since 2003. In fact, production of oil fields in the old Havana province (now Mayabeque province), including those of Guanabo, Boca de Jaruco, Santa Cruz and Puerto Escondido, decreased by one-third (-32.1%) over the past 10 years, from a record 1.87 million tons of oil, or 32,350 b/d*. Meanwhile, yields in Matanzas province helped offset the decline in Havana/Mayabeque. Oil output at the Seboruco, Varadero-Cárdenas, Cantel and Majaguillar fields grew by one-third (34.4%) in the same period, to a record 1.54 million tons or 26,670 b/d in 2015.

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Hurricane Irma: Costlier than record storm Ike

Assessing the damage two weeks after the storm, official daily Granma said “it wouldn’t be surprising if the cost exceeds that of Ike in 2008, the most destructive hurricane in this century, which was estimated at 7.325 billion pesos”. Today, this figure would be equivalent to 9% of Cuba’s Gross Domestic Product in 2014, or one-fifth of all tax income collected by the government in 2016.

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Cuba's water crisis: It's not all due to climate change

Cuba has one of the largest water reservoir systems in the Hemisphere, per capita and territory. Conceived for a planned economy that no longer exists, Cuba’s current water reservoirs largely exceed the needs of the country. Ironically, there is a chronic water deficit for consumers and in almost every economic sector.

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