Tourism in Cuba challenges difficulties and bets on triumph
Spas of excellence, exuberant landscapes, nature, dance, music, rum and Havana cigars, among others, are the bets of the 39th International Tourism Fair (Fitur) that will cover all this week, with silk gloves and open smiles, despite the threats and political-economic tensions with the United States, publishes PL.
From the imposing view of the Morro-Cabaña complex, home of Fitur, and the tours of the Cuban capital on the 500th anniversary of its founding, the Havana Malecon begins to shine pristinely and brilliantly, thanks to the intense sun that bathes it these days.
Some figures deny the supposed isolation to which the Caribbean nation is subjected. The goal of a little more than five million foreign tourists in 2019 remains intact and expectations of consolidating the sector are promising, said Michel Bernal, Commercial Director of Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism.
Following the flow of travelers from the United States, mainly through cruises, there is a commitment from Canadian tour operators for the upcoming winter season, Russia increases as an issuer for Latin America, Chile and Colombia, said Bernal.
On the flux, there are hopes that Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and France will pick up the pace across the Old Continent. And with all this range of figures, which includes more than two thousand foreign delegates in Fitur, a priori the vibes are good.
However, Bernal himself admitted that the picture is complex and it will be sharpened by the restrictions on travel licenses for U.S. citizens designed by Donald Trump’s administration.
-NO ONE FOLDS THEIR ARMS
Answers come out as bold as they can be. Germany with a legion of tour operators that supported a great event in the eastern province of Holguín a few days ago; Canada confirming itself as the maximum emitter of travellers to Cuba; and Spain at full sail with two giants of aeronautics (Iberia) and hostelry (Iberostar).
On Thursday night, an Airbus A330/200 with the name ‘Havana’, lands in the Cuban capital, with a high ranking passenger on board, Luis Gallego, president of Iberia, who on Friday will head a breakfast convened by the Association of Spanish Entrepreneurs in Cuba, to highlight his company’s commitment to the Largest in the Antilles.
Iberia will also sponsor an avant-premiere of the documentary ‘Cuba Crea’ (‘Cuba Create’), which will be at the Valladolid Festival this year on Friday, and on Saturday, May 11 it will arrange a concert of Spanish and Cuban musicians at the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales in Old Havana.
On the other hand, Iberostar, with more than twenty hotels in Cuba, will take part in Fitur with its general directors of Marketing, Oscar González, and Comercial, Finn Ackerman.
With all the roll of climate change, it is difficult for meteorologists to predict the arrival of storms with millimetric precision. Nor is it easy to do so with a smoke-free industry pending the avatars of the blockade policy imposed by Washington on th Island.
However, the tourist bet remains, paraphrasing a popular song: Till the Malecón has dried up.
(With information from PL in Spanish)
Written by Radio Grito de Baire
