Cuba: Ninth Tourist Destination in Latin America

Cuba ranks ninth among Latin American tourist destinations, according to Cuban expert Miguel Alejandro Figueras.

In his opening speech at the International Underwater Photo Contest "FOTOSUB Colony 2010" on Tuesday at Colony Hotel, in the Island of Youth special municipality, Figueras referred to the leap taken by the Island, which ranked 23rd among favourite
tourist destinations worldwide in 1990.

Cuba could rank fourth or fifth if the US government allowed its citizens to travel freely to the Island, said Figueras, who is advisor of the Cuban Ministry of Tourism.

Before nearly 70 photographers, models and journalists from over 10 nations, he also highlighted the inclusion of Cuba among the 27 main destinations for diving, according to the World Tourism Organization.

Regarding the latest tourism figures, he said that Cuba has received 29 million travellers in the last two decades, including 14.5 million people from Europe, eight million from Canada, 4,000 from Latin America and the Caribbean and 800,000 from the United States.

He cited main tourist regions in Cuba, including Havana, Varadero, Jardines del Rey, Camaguey, Holguin, Santiago de Cuba, the south-central and the Canarreos (the Island of Youth and Cayo Largo), where 91 percent of tourism investments, income and tourists is concentrated.

Source: PL