Cuba will reopen to international visitors and reduce entry requirements, starting in November.

Beginning November 15, visitors traveling to Cuba will be required to produce proof of vaccination or a recent PCR coronavirus test. There will be no additional quarantine restrictions.

Cuba used to have some of the strictest quarantine and PCR testing requirements in the Caribbean. While the World Health Organization has yet to approve the island’s three-dose homegrown vaccines, at least 90 percent of the population has received at least one dose.

In 2019, more than four million tourists visited Cuba, contributing to 10.6% of the country’s GDP. According to the most recent data, the island has received only 200,000 visitors so far this year, with an additional 100,000 expected by the end of 2021.

According to Cuban economist Ricardo Torres, tourism fell by 92 percent this year compared to the previous year.

“So we are talking about next year for any real tourism recovery…which generates a knock-on effect and so is decisive to economic recovery,” said Torres.

While the Cuban government remains optimistic about the impact of reopening to international tourists, officials have warned that recovery will be slower than initially anticipated, following a 10.9 percent drop last year and another two percent in June.

Tourism Minister Juan Carlos Garcia said, “We are in a favorable moment as we begin to recover our customs, to be able to visit relatives and go on vacation, as well as improve economic activity.”

– India’s new age travel digital media