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Tourism in Cuba: what has changed since the pandemic

2022-06-30T17:33:40.602Z


After two years of closure due to Covid-19, Cuba welcomes tourists again, without testing or vaccine. But the country has seen some changes. What you need to know before flying to Havana.


The convertible peso, or CUC, no longer exists

Previously, Cuba had two official currencies: the CUC, the main currency of the country, and the CUP, the Cuban peso used for small expenses.

In practice, tourists used the CUC for all their purchases.

All they had to do was withdraw these CUCs from the ATM or change money at a Cuban bank.

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In 2021, the government abolished the CUC, making the CUP the only official currency, while allowing foreign currencies to circulate.

Result: the CUP did not gain in value while the euro became the strong currency of the island.

You can therefore leave with euros and pay in notes but not in coins that Cubans refuse because they are impossible to change.

It is also possible to pay by international credit card but some banks do not work with Cuba.

It is therefore necessary to inquire beforehand with your establishment.

Read alsoWhen to go to Cuba?

Weather, climate, visits… The best period by region

Beware of the new euro exchange system - CUO

Exchange on the black market, very advantageous, has become a common practice.

As an indication, €1 is equivalent to 24 CUP at the official rate and 120 CUP at the parallel rate in June 2022. However, private businesses, which are in great demand by tourists on the Caribbean island (drivers, guest houses, restaurants, guides, etc. set their prices according to the black market rate.

Changing your euros at the official rate in banks or at the airport would therefore amount to paying five times more for any private service...

Moreover, euros in cash are now accepted almost everywhere in Cuba (except in state companies where you generally pay by card in foreign currency), in the end CUPs are not used very much;

so just change small amounts.

"You have to plan to take a lot of euros in cash before flying to Cuba, this is what will allow you to pay most of the expenses on the spot",

recommends Diana Gonzalez, director of the tourist office of Cuba in France.

To obtain CUPs at the best rate, all you have to do is pay in euros to individuals, taxi drivers or owners of bed and breakfasts, for example, who give change in CUP.

Read alsoIn the mountains of Cuba, the other country of coffee

Internet becomes accessible to all

Until 2020, to use the internet outside hotels, you had to connect to public wifi terminals, which were often saturated.

“Good news, 4G is available everywhere.

An 8 GB SIM card costs 10 euros and tourists have the right to use one

,” reports Xavier Destribats, director of the Kempinski hotel group in Cuba.

Loss of ESTA when traveling to Miami

Before the pandemic, many travelers took advantage of their stay in Cuba to make a getaway to Miami, a 45-minute flight from Havana.

But, in January 2021, Donald Trump put Cuba on the list of terrorist countries making tourism in this country illegal.

Result ?

Travelers with an ESTA (electronic authorization to travel to the United States without a visa) lose it at the Miami airport if they arrive from Cuba.

“Cuba is not on the list of banned countries on

the ESTA website

but for the Miami border police the Trump measure is law.

If the travelers concerned want to return to the United States later, they will need a visa, ”

decrypts Paola Usquelis, immigration lawyer in Miami.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2022-06-30

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