More Cubans traveling abroad: report

More Cubans traveling abroad: report

The number of Cubans travelling abroad has surged by 23.7 per cent, according to official statistics, an increase prompted by the Communist island’s easing of travel restrictions.

Some 355,000 Cubans travelled recreationally in 2014, up from 287,000 the previous year, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics published in the Juventud Rebelde newspaper.

And the number of people leaving the island for non-business travel last year was up 66.7 per cent from 2012, when 213,000 people left the island.

Travel restrictions were eased in 2013, allowing Cubans to legally visit other countries, after being strictly imposed following the Cuban revolution.

That revolution led many Cubans to flee the country, often embarking on risky boat trips to seek asylum in other countries, namely the United States.

The US and Cuba in December announced a historic rapprochement, ending five decades of enmity between the former Cold War foes.

There are about 1.2 million Cuban immigrants in the United States, and Washington grants some 20,000 immigrant visas and about 30,000 temporary visas for Cubans annually.

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

cuba

Latest News

  • Hotels

Revamped Wailoaloa Beach hotel opens as Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort & Spa

Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort & Spa is open and ready for bookings after the first phase of a multi-million-dollar transformation. Part of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ premium collection, the transformation has seen the completion of 106 guestrooms showcasing contemporary interiors reflective of the premium Crowne Plaza brand and is a first for the […]

  • Tourism

Nielsen Data reveals brands spending big to attract Aussie tourists

TripADeal had the biggest outlay of the more than $153 million spent on travel and tourism advertising in Australia in the first quarter of 2024, followed by Virgin Australia and Flight Centre-owned Ignite Travel, new Nielsen Ad Intel data has revealed. And the industry ad spend enjoyed an increase of 8 per cent on the […]

  • Luxury
  • News

Kamalaya Koh Samui clinches clutch of wellness awards

Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary & Holistic Spa has so far clinched five prestigious awards in 2024, including being inducted into the ‘Hall of Fame’ at the World Spa & Wellness Awards in London. Founders of the Koh Samui sanctuary and spa John and Karina Stewart expressed their heartfelt gratitude for the awards. “We are profoundly honoured […]

  • Partner Content

My journey: Before becoming a travel agent I was… a palliative care nurse 

Australind Travel & Cruise, Travellers Choice member Saibra Twigg reveals her life as paediatric nurse then to palliative care before a career leap to travel agent. How did you become a palliative care nurse?  ST I went straight from school in nursing and initially specialised in paediatrics, working at Perth’s Princess Margaret Hospital for Children. […]

Partner Content

by Travel Weekly

Travel Weekly
  • Destinations
  • News

APT Launches 2025 Asia Adventures

APT has launched its Asia Adventures for 2025, including new luxury holidays in India, Sri Lanka and Japan. Five new tours lead guests to the highlights of India, including a seven-night cruise along the rarely travelled Lower Ganges aboard the Ganges Voyager. Further south, Sri Lanka’s greatest destinations are revealed on a new 15-day Land […]