Havana - The National Bureau of Statistics and Information (ONEI) has reported today that about 284,565 Americans visited Cuba until late May this year, compared with an equal figure in 2016.

The report, also posted by Cubadebate website, states today that 2016 marked the country's record of 284,937 people, a 74-percent increase compared with 2015.

As for the 2017 average, it represents a 145 percent increase compared with the same period last year, when about 116,000 Americans traveled to the island during that period.

Statistics state that nearly 166,455 Cuban residents in the United States visited the archipelago until late May, indicating a 45 percent growth compared with the same period in 2016, when about 114,391 came.

The opening in August 2016 of regular flights of ten North American airlines, and the growth of the arrivals of cruise ships have facilitated that flow of travelers.

The northern neighbors continue visiting Cuba, protected by 12 categories of permissions approved during the previous administration of Barack Obama,as they are prohibited by law from traveling as tourists, the report recalls.