Tourism to Cuba plunges after Trump's tightening of travel ban - data

FILE PHOTO: Men watch the cruise ship MS Empress of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean International, as it leaves the bay of Havana, Cuba, June 5, 2019. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini/File Photo

HAVANA (Reuters) - Tourist arrivals to Cuba plunged 23.6% on the year in July, official data showed on Wednesday, confirming the blow dealt to the sector by the Trump administration's tightening of U.S. restrictions on travel to the Caribbean island.

Data from the Statistics Office had already shown a 20% drop in arrivals in June, after Washington that same month banned cruises to Cuba and made it harder for U.S. citizens to get an exemption from the ban on travel there.