Havana, November 17 (RHC)-- Three million foreign tourists picked the island as their holiday destination so far this year, which translates into an 18 percent growth compared to a similar period of 2014, according to the Cuban Tourism Ministry.

Canada continued to be the major source of tourists to Cuba, with over one million 110 thousand travelers, followed by European countries. And the island reported an increasing number of visitors from Latin America.

According to the Cuban Tourism Ministry, these results are linked to the new Cuban scenario, the efforts of tourism workers to improve the quality of service and the support given by several local economic sectors.

Even when the most recent accords between the United States and Cuba paved the way for an increase in the visits of U.S. citizens to Cuba, the travel ban is still in force, the Cuba Tourism Ministry explains. If the Cuba-travel band did not exist, Cuba could be receiving 140 cruise ships that operate in the Caribbean area.