• Submitted by: admin
• Travel and Tourism
• Business and Economy
• 05 / 11 / 2010

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With more than a million tourists travelling to the island between January and April 2010, Cuba concluded the first quarter of the year with a new record of visits, announced Minister of Tourism Manuel Marrero at the opening ceremony of the
thirtieth International Tourism Fair in Havana.

“Although we didn’t have a good start this year,” he noted, “we managed to recover in March and April, concluding the quarter with 1,053,000 visitors —the highest number ever in Cuba.”

With the support of the government, the Ministry of Tourism is currently working to improve the business in Cuba, with new strategies targeting different markets, including emerging and developing markets, informed Marrero at a meeting with
ministers of different ALBA member nations, tour operators, and representatives of travel agencies, airlines, hotel groups, businesspeople and the press.

As part of this strategy, a new campaign titled Genuine Cuba will be launched to promote Cuban destinations the world over.

“A constant renovation, modernization and development of our hotels will be complementing this strategy,” he said.

He noted that Cuba has not ceased in its efforts to develop tourism, despite challenges such as climate change and the increase of the competition, not to mention the hardships of the current economic situation and the impossibility to access fifty percent of the Caribbean tourism market.

“In the last 20 years,” he said, “Cuba’s tourism industry has experimented one of the most important and dynamic development processes in the Americas and the Caribbean. In 1990, the country finished twenty-third on the list of countries with the
most visitors. Now we’re ninth on the list.”

Marrero said that Canada remains Cuba’s main supplier of visitors, while European clients don’t follow a steady pattern.

“There are a series of reasons for this behaviour. Spain, for instance, is the only country that has increased its number of visitors to Cuba. But we will continue to strive to recover those clients,” he said.

With regards to Latin America, he said that Argentinean tourists have been showing more and more interest on the island, followed by Colombians, Chileans and Peruvians.

He added that the country has prepared a strategy to attract Mexican, Venezuelan and Brazilian customers.

Other prioritized countries in Cuba’s strategy are Russia—which was the guest of honor at the fair this year— China and India.

The minister also underscored that Cubans are potential customers, both those living in other countries and in Cuba, and that they will be targeting those sectors as well.

When asked about American tourists, he said that at a US-Cuban meeting held in Cancun on tourism and travel, they had the opportunity to verify that American officials are not familiar with Cuban destinations or its potential in this area.

In his opinion, this is a consequence of the US blockade of Cuba, which successive American administrations have imposed on the island.

Marrero informed that there are some 50,000 rooms currently in operation, 65 percent of which are at five and four-start hotels. Approximately 20,000 new rooms will be made available in the next five years.

There are new hotels under construction in Varadero, the Santamaría and Cayo Coco Cays, and other virgin cays are being conditioned for exploitation.

The minister also mentioned four five-star hotels that will be built in Guardalavaca (Holguin), Cayo Coco Cay, Varadero and Trinidad.

Marrero also made reference to the necessity to improve airport and harbour facilities, and organize more international events, such as golf and fishing tournaments.

The minister highlighted the importance of foreign investment: “For over 20 years we have been working with foreign investors. Currently, there are 66 hotels (27,909 rooms) operated by international hotel chains.”

Marrero concluded his presentation expressing Cuba’s commitment to improving the tourism sector and providing visitors and investors with security and quality services.

Cuba’s Position in Latin American and Caribbean Ranking according to number of visitors

By Agnerys Rodriguez Gavilan

Source: www.ahora.cu/