Brazilian Magazine Homes in on Cuba´s Tourism

The latest issue of Brazilian magazine Viagem put out a 14-page cover story on Cuban tourism entitled History to Give and Comfort to Sell.

The Sunday magazine of the O Globo daily, the most influential and outreaching newspaper in Brazil, tells tourists that the island of Cuba "has conveniences as any other country in the world from the moment the local travel industry became a top-priority development area."

Viagem goes on to state that the combination of partnerships with foreign hotel companies and infrastructure advances has paid off as a comprehensive strategy. "Today," the magazine reports, "tourism accounts for 42 percent of hard-currency income on an island nation that barely welcomed 300,000 visitors a decade ago and is now making plans to receive 2 million travelers this year."

The cover story takes readers on a grand tour around some of Cuba´s premier travel circuits, destinations and sightseeing spots. It also deals extensively with the city of Havana and some of its must-sees: landmark hotels, the Revolution Square, the Coastal Seawall (Malecon), and a couple of restaurants -El Floridita and La Bodeguita del Medio- likened to American writer Ernest Hemingway.

In addition to tips on places to visit, cuisine, drinks and other allures, the report mentions some boldface Brazilians who have been to Cuba, like singer Caetano Veloso, and journalists and presidential advisor Frei Beto.