Cuba`s bid on tourism diversification

“The diversification of Cuba’s tourist industry as far as offers, destinations, market segments and tour operators are concerned is a top priority for us,” said Cuban tourism minister Ibrahim Ferradaz. The island nation welcomed 800,000 sunbathers in the first third of the year for a 19 percent increase compared to the same period of time in 2002.

Canada is the top tourist-sending market followed by Italy, France, Great Britain and Mexico. Cuba’s goal right now is to reach out to other senders, a reason why authorities are working with tour operators from Scandinavian nations, Russia, China and northern Europe, plus other such nations as Lebanon and Qatar.

According to Mr. Ferradaz, Cuba won’t feel the pinch due to Washington’s toughening of the travel ban on U.S. citizens. In that respect, he said “human ingenuity will let them come down to this neck of the woods.” Last year, some 80,000 Americans traveled to Cuba and only half that figure holding the permits licensed by the U.S. government for its citizens before coming to Cuba.

One of the Cuban initiatives in the pipeline is the free circulation of the European currency in the destinations of Camaguey and Holguin beginning June 1.

As to the multi-destination plans for the Caribbean, Mr. Ferradaz indicated they are not sketched out by the governments, but rather by the tourists, and get hyped by tour operators if they see a chance to make a killing with them.

“Multi-destination is done at the country of origin,” the Cuban Tourism Minister averred. He commented that those who travel from Europe to Cuba have already planned their spare time, so “multi-destination in the Caribbean is accomplished through the Caribbean’s own cultural diversification. And make no mistakes about it; that’s the region’s trump card in this respect.”