The Minister of Tourism of Cuba, Juan Carlos García Granda, assured Russian media that the MIR card, from the Eurasian country’s banking system, was installed on the island as a permanent payment method. García Granda added that the tourism sector will greatly benefit from this decision.
According to press agencies, the Russian MIR card, implemented in Cuba since November 2023, is consolidated as a key tool for the development of Russian tourism on the island, according to the words of Minister García Granda. The goal for this year is to reach half a million visitors from Russia, a figure that is expected to increase thanks to the ease of payment offered by this card.
“The Russian MIR card came to Cuba to stay (…) One of the challenges that we have overcome, because we can already announce results today, is that Russians can pay in Cuba with rubles, which is already a fact today,” he counted.
Currently, one ruble is equivalent to almost 100 euros. Amid the sanctions against Russia, due to the attacks on Ukraine, the Russian currency is also quite depreciated. But apparently it is useful for the Cuban government to have it in its possession right now.
Russian MIR card for Cuba tourism
The Russian MIR card is of vital importance for tourism in Cuba, according to officials. The first operations with these cards took place on November 20, 2023, while their official use in point-of-sale terminals became official on December 5 of the same year.
“In these first months of operation, more than 2.7 million dollars have been transferred through MIR cards, there are 20,000 POS terminals in the main stores and tourist spots throughout the country. This is something that is going to grow and all the conditions are created for it to be so,” he said.
García Granda reiterated the firm interest in positioning Cuba as a tourist destination of great attraction for visitors from Russia. In this sense, he mentioned that Havana maintains the objective of Russian tourists being among the first three places in terms of the number of foreign visitors that the country receives.
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