HAVANA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian tourist Joao Oliveira drinks a bottle of water in Havana's Old Quarter to keep hydrated amid the blistering temperatures in the Caribbean.
The 32-year-old told Xinhua that traveling to Cuba had been a thrilling experience since he had learned a lot about the history and culture of the island nation.
"Cuban and Brazilian people have many things in common," he said. "People here are friendly. I am thinking of returning next summer."
Meanwhile, Mexican teacher Fabiola Garcia ate lobster at a restaurant by the sea in the Havana district of Miramar.
"I have been to Cuba four times. This tourist destination is not very far from my country," she said. "I spent three days in a seaside resort and now expect to come back home in the coming days."
According to the Cuban Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR), Cuba has received more than 1.2 million tourists so far in 2023 amid a steady increase in Russian tourist arrivals.
It comes as the island prepares for the start of the upcoming tourist peak season, which runs from October to March.
At the same time, in Varadero, the country's most popular seaside resort, actions are implemented to reinvigorate the nightlife experience of tourists.
"We have included nightly guided tours of the resort so that holidaymakers can visit nightclubs, bars and interact with different attractions," Milton Gonzalez, deputy director at Varadero's tourism school, told Xinhua.
In 2022, Cuba welcomed some 1.7 million tourists, far lower than the 2.5 million visitors initially projected by local authorities.
Cuba is estimated to receive some 3.5 million tourists by year's end, MINTUR said.
Mercedes del Carmen Franco, a professor at the School of Tourism at the University of Havana, told Xinhua that Cuban small and medium-sized enterprises can very much contribute to developing the local tourism industry.
"Startups can help transform the tourism industry at the local level by providing hotel facilities with services and supply of different products," she said.
For his part, Jose Luis Perello, a university professor and expert on tourism, said that finding effective ways to attract more tourists to Cuba is vital.
"Tourists demand the highest quality of hotel services, so the importance of continued efforts cannot be overstated," he said.
According to MINTUR, Canadians top the list of the leading issuing markets of tourists to Cuba, followed by overseas Cubans, Americans and Russians.
