During the 40th Havana International Fair (FIHAV) 2024, Cuba's Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda, and Venezuela's Minister of Tourism, Leticia Gómez Hernández, convened to discuss enhancing tourism cooperation between the two nations. The meeting focused on exploring new investment strategies and joint development opportunities, emphasizing the need to increase tourist flow and infrastructure capacity in both countries.
FIHAV, a commercial event utilized by the Cuban regime to forge international trade agreements, has become a pivotal platform for cooperation across various sectors, with tourism taking a central role on the agendas of both delegations. García Granda stated that the partnership aims to diversify the Caribbean's tourism offerings and attract more foreign currency, leveraging growing international interest from countries like Russia.
Renewed Momentum in Tourism Partnership
The tourism collaboration between Cuba and Venezuela is not a novel concept, but it has gained renewed vigor under Gómez Hernández's leadership since her appointment as Venezuela's Tourism Minister in August 2024. With Cuban roots, Gómez Hernández has been instrumental in bridging both nations, having previously worked in Cuba's tourism sector and collaborated with Venetur, Venezuela's leading tourism agency.
Her appointment has been perceived as a signal of deepening integration between the two authoritarian regimes, particularly in strategic sectors that secure a stable source of foreign currency and provide a smokescreen for "covert operations" aimed at circumventing U.S. sanctions and other measures against governments promoting regional instability and illicit activities.
Economic Challenges and Strategic Alliances
Amid severe economic challenges, the Cuban and Venezuelan regimes are turning to tourism as a critical revenue source. Traditionally a cornerstone of Cuba's economy and increasingly vital for Venezuela, the tourism industry is being leveraged to address financial shortfalls in both nations. In the first half of 2024, Cuba reported 1,680,485 international arrivals, marking a 101.1% increase from the previous year, yet still falling short of pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, Venezuela welcomed over 1.5 million international visitors by October, predominantly driven by Russian and Cuban tourists.
The tourism collaboration between Cuba and Venezuela carries political implications as well. In addition to strengthening economic ties, the increased frequency of flights and tourism packages between the two countries reflects a strategy to lessen dependency on international tourism, which is increasingly wary of the lack of rights and freedoms in both nations.