TORONTO — The trend is clear: more visitors are flocking to Cuba, making it the second most travelled to destination in the Caribbean. In 2016, the island welcomed more than four million tourists,  an increase of nearly 14.5% compared to 2015. Further, Cuba received 3.5 million visitors in 2015, up 17.4% from 2014.

Canada continues to be a leading source of tourists followed by Germany, Great Britain, the U.S., France, Italy, Mexico and Argentina. Over the past few years, Cuba has been building mostly beach resorts for Canadian and European visitors and plans to build 100,000 new accommodations, mainly at all-inclusive beach resorts by 2030 as part of its National Plan for Economic and Social Development.

Travelweek spoke with Eloy Govea, Director for Canada, Cuba Tourist Board about the seven new proprieties slated to open in 2017 in Travelweek’s Travel Industry News segment.

Govea stressed that tourists are free to explore the country without having to worry about safety. In the Travel Trips segment, he explains, “This is a country with no guns, no drugs, no hijackings of tourists”, making it safe to explore and experience the culture of Cuba.

Finally, do you have a client who wants to go to Cuba, but they’re not sure what area to stay in? Govea listsr the top 5 destinations in Cuba and the main tourist draw in each.

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