World Entertainment
by Yosley Carrero
HAVANA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Mario Garcia, from Mexico, has made a dream true by traveling to Cuba with his family.
The 48-year-old, who visits the island with his wife and two daughters, is planning to head to the seaside resort of Varadero in the coming days.
"We had long awaited this moment. I had to postpone this trip because of the COVID-19 pandemic," he told Xinhua.
Meanwhile, Melanie Robinson, from the United States, walks around Havana's Old Quarter, taking pictures of old buildings, drinking Cuban mojito and enjoying performances of street musicians and dancers.
"I came to Cuba for the jazz festival but made the decision to stay longer," she said. "I am staying in a rented apartment. I will not move outside Havana. I feel fine here."
The Cuban tourism industry has seen a large increase in tourist arrivals during the first month of the year, local media reported.
"The Caribbean nation welcomed some 246,000 foreign visitors in January, up from the around 86,000 during the same period last year," Jose Luis Perello, a senior university professor and an expert on tourism, was quoted as saying by digital media Cuban Economist.
According to the Cuban Ministry of Tourism, up to 3.5 million are projected to visit the island nation throughout the year.
Marlenis Perez, who rents his apartment in the Havana district of El Vedado, told Xinhua that the arrival of foreign tourists will help the local economy take off.
"Without tourists, it will be difficult for the Cuban economy to make it," she said. "If the tourism industry goes well, everything will do so, including the economy of Cuban families."
In 2022, Cuba received over 1.6 million tourists, down from the 2.5 million international visitors estimated by the government.
Before the pandemic, the island nation welcomed more than 4 million tourists annually.