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HAVANA, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Cuba has received 3 million international visitors by Saturday, 39 days earlier compared to 2015, highlighted a press release from the Caribbean island's tourism ministry published online by CiberCuba on Sunday.
The ministry indicated that the number represents an accumulated growth of 12 percent, "which shows the reinforced positioning of Cuba as a destination in the world tourism scenario."
This growth has been possible due to all the hard work put in by tourism workers, multiple sectors of the national economy and international partners cooperating and the support from Cuba's government and people, according to the ministry's text.
Tourism is Cuba's second main source of hard currency, and it is considered to be a strategic sector by President Raul Castro's government as its revenues can be invested into other relevant spheres to boost the national economy.
According to the National Statistic Bureau, currently in 2016, Canada remains the number one of tourists to the island while major increases in visitors have been reported from the United States, Spain and Italy.
In 2015, the country profited 2.8 billion U.S. dollars from the sector, added the press release.
