Tourism: Slow 2018 ends with strong rally

Source : Johannes Werner Tue Feb 05, 05:36 pm EST
4.732 million visitors set foot on the island in 2018, a scant 0.9% more than the year before — but that growth came after a miserable 2017-18 high season, thanks to a robust rebound in the last two quarters, mostly due to a growing number of U.S. travelers. Previous Top Stories

Economy

U.S. tour operator survey suggests slight increase of land-based travel

This is good news for Cuba's battered economy, after a one-third drop of U.S. travelers arriving by airplane last year Despite U.S. sanctions against PdVSA, Venezuelan fuel keeps flowing to Cuba
Cubans get Internet by phone
Vietnamese company gets Russian support for its Cuba projects
Miami Herald: Caravan of primarily Cuban migrants trying to reach United States
Reuters: Investors in Cuba wary of impact from U.S. threats, Venezuela crisis
Reuters: Russia to help Cubana get fleet back in the air
Reuters: PdVSA seeks Russian crude for Cuba

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Companies

Habanos premium cigar sales grow 7% in 2018

China rose last year to the No. 2 position for Habanos sales; Europe accounts for 53% of total sales, with Spain as No. 1 market U.S. fines German subsidiary of U.S. company over sales to Cuba
U.S. bank discontinues Cuba credit card for individual customers
Sherritt expects rising nickel, declining oil production this year
Sun Sentinel: Passengers upset after cruise ship turned away in Cuba
Miami Herald: Florida-Cuba travel is in flux
Dallas Business Journal: Southwest Airlines balks at American Airlines' new idea for Cuba routes
Seatrade Cruise: Regent delves deeper with two immersive Cuba cruises

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Politics

Analysis: Cubazuela and the failed-state strategy

However the Trump administration's gamble turns out in Venezuela, the result for Cuba is clear: Venezuelan economic support is nearing its end Analysis: How would a collapse of Chavismo affect Cuba?
Analysis: Why U.S. regime-change efforts in Venezuela are an uphill struggle
Trump administration increases pressure on Cuba, by way of investors
Bloomberg: Canada halving staff at Havana embassy after mystery illness
Miami Herald: Trump administration considers putting Cuba back on 'terror' list
Reuters: Cuba seeks improved governance
Reuters: U.S. considering allowing lawsuits over Cuba-confiscated properties

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LIFESTYLES

Vistar magazine: The tornado, its aftermath, and donations

Memories of a Sunday Night (tornado coverage and tips for how to help); profile of jazz musician Gastón Joya. LaHabana.com: The anniversary issue

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BLOG TICKER

Cuba Central: Caritas seeks donations for post-tornado reconstruction in Havana
Cuba Trade magazine: Confused Americans opting for cruise travel to Cuba
Generation Y: Proposals to get help to tornado victims
Havana Times: Havana's ecological car wash
Progreso Weekly: William LeoGrande: Helms-Burton violates the 'Act of State' doctrine
The Internet in Cuba: The first month of Cuban 3G mobile Internet service

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Data & Maps

A first for Havana: The Jan. 27 tornado and its destruction

According to the construction ministry, 3,780 dwellings were affected; of those, 372 are completely destroyed, 518 are partially destroyed. More than 500 roofs were lost and more than 1,800 damaged.

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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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