The Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) stated that a record-breaking 1,437,890 foreign visitors arrived in Cuba during the first five months of 2012.

The note is based on information from the National Bureau of Statistics and Information, published at the MINTUR website cubatravel.cu, recognizing a 5.5-percent growth from January to May 2012, compared with the same period last year.

It emphasizes a continual increase over the last four years with a progressive influx during May, generally the low season month for the island, and representing a 7.1-percent increase for 2012, compared with the same period in 2011.

Some 2,716,317 people stayed in Cuban hotels in 2011, a number that facilitated revenue valued at more than $1.7 billion Cuban convertible pesos (one CUC is equivalent to $1.10 USD).

The revenue sourced from accommodations, transportation, gastronomy, retail trade, and recreation, among other indicators.

Tourism source markets in the MINTUR report include Canada, followed by Europe, accounting for 60 percent of the international tourists who have traveled to Cuba despite the global economic crisis and a certain decrease among travelers from Italy and Spain.

Canada was the main source of tourism to Cuba in the first five months of 2012, with a total of 649,669 visitors, official sources reported.

The Cuban archipelago currently has over 60,000 rooms in some 300 hotels distributed throughout the country, and expects to finish the year with a total of 2.9 million visitors.

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