CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

Cuba Shows Healthy Recovery in International Tourism

CUBA, May 11, 2010. After two initial months showing decreases in the amount of visitors, in March and April Cuba recovered its grounds to ratify itself as a leading Caribbean destination in tourism, although it has access to only 50 percent of its natural market because of the U.S. blockade.

There is no doubt that in terms of tourism, Cuba has overcome multiple setbacks and exhibits at the end of the first term (four months) a healthy upturn in is field, one of whose competitive advantage derives from its proved ability to get over the most difficult times rapidly.

Despite the growth of competition, being Cuba at a disadvantage, the difficult economic environment in which it operates, climate change and lack of access to 50 percent of the Caribbean tourism market, Cuba has weathered the storm and returns on its tracks, like a domestic powerhouse, always aware of today's global scourges.

“Cuba has overcome these setbacks,” said Manuel Marrero last week, Cuban Tourism Minister who announced that the initial quarter of the year was historic, with the reception of more than one million travellers (1.053 million).

“It was surprising because we started with bad January and February, really bad ones, but March and April were very good,” Marrero said.

Just like that the good news came to public notice, like a healing balm, since experts were very concerned about such critical start of 2010.

The Cuban authorities decided to continue betting on the strengthening of the tourist industry with options such as marinas, golf courses and other tourism investments, while seeking to design the best strategy to take forward the depressed sugar industry, finally displaced as the Cuban top hard currency earner, generating annual revenues of some two billion dollars and showing signs of good health.

The results of January-April period only serve to certify the strength of is sphere, which closed in 2009 with a rise of 3.5 percent, when global activity contracted by 4.3 percent.

Canada leads the emitting markets by sending almost a million vacationers every year.

However, Europe has lagged behind and only Spain shows an increase, as happens with Cuban emigrants, who became one of the most important segments, as well as the domestic market.

Then there is the upward trend in the territories of the region such as Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Peru, which increase their potential. However, there are still significant untapped reserves in other directions as in the case of Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico. Similarly, Cuba looks forward to attract the Russian, Chinese and Indian markets.

And there are other news that came to light during 2010 FITCUBA Tourism Fair– which recently wrapped up and became the ideal place to raise awareness that to the 50 000 rooms currently enrolled Cuba will add another 20 000 in the next five years, plus other investing efforts underway to turn the Havana Bay into an extraordinary tourist port, improvements at airports in Varadero and the terminal two of the “Jose Marti” International Airport in Havana and then the rehabilitation of heritage buildings in different poles.

These plans become other phases of the local tourism development, already included among the most important and dynamic ones of the Americas and the Caribbean, since in the last two decades it managed to climb 14 places up to the ninth preference position among destinations in the region.

Just in the last two decades, Cuba received 29 million visitors from more than 70 countries, a time in which it opted for a sustainable, safe and aware of the past, present and future challenges tourism.

Cuba has faced challenges, for example, in terms of quality, infrastructure and airline links, which, however, have not stopped it as a tourist destination for six consecutive years for exceeding the benchmark of two million international arrivals. (Cubaminrex- ACN)

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