Cuba Welcomed Record Number of Visitors in 2008

Cuba closed the year with a record number of 2.35 million visitors, a 9.3 percent growth over 2007, according to Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero. Visitors from Canada, the U.K., Spain and Italy accounted for a 6 percent visitor increase.

The record, set over Christmas weekend, was achieved despite the impact of the 2008 hurricane season, which caused 109 flights to be canceled, 6,000 hotel rooms to be temporarily out of commission and the loss of thousands of visitors, Marrero said.