Cubans are discouraged by the forced absence of Russian tourists, but hope for their speedy return.
Due to the fact that a number of countries have banned Russian airlines from flying over their territory, about 6,000 tourists from Russia were urgently taken out of Cuba at the beginning of March.
Since there are few tourists in Cuba now, it has become a cold shower for Cubans working in the tourism sector.
"There are no Russians anymore, and there are very few Europeans," complains Raul Rodriguez, a seafood supplier to Havana restaurants.
In the period from 2020 to 2021, the influx of tourists to Cuba from Russia increased by 197%. In terms of the number of tours purchased, Russians were ahead of representatives of all other nationalities who visited the island state, the statistical office of Cuba reported.