The year 2015 is shaping up to be a record-breaker for Cuba in terms of tourism numbers and is expected to top the 3-million mark reached in 2014, which set a record.
Two million tourists visited Cuba between Jan. 1 and July 10 this year, according to a release from the Ministry of Tourism.
The 2-million mark was reached 39 days ahead of reaching that same visitor number in 2014, reflecting an arrivals spike of 16%.
In 2014, Cuba welcomed 3 million visitors for the first time in history.
The ministry attributed the strong performance thus far this year to a surge in visitors from its source markets of Canada, Germany, the U.K., Italy, Argentina, Venezuela, Peru and the U.S.
Canada topped the list with the most 779,576 visitors thus far this year, a 14% jump over the same period in 2014.
No breakdown of U.S. visitors was available, although U.S. tour operators currently offering people-to-people programs report increased demand, and some, such as Insight Cuba, are adding departures to existing programs to handle the surge.
During a televised interview, Cuba's Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero said the country is increasing the pace of hotel construction to meet the demand.