Cuba’s Tourism Ministry Outlines Winter Season Strategy

Cuba’s tourism keeps growing. From January to August this year, the local travel industry has raked in 2,071,533 international visitors, up 3.7 percent from the same period of time in 2013, according to a press release issued by the island nation’s Tourism Ministry.

The Ministry’s PR Director Dalila Gonzalez said all executives and employees in the travel industry are gearing up for the upcoming wintertime high-peak season –stretching from November to April- and with their views locked on higher quality service.

According to Mrs. Gonzalez, Cuba’s top outbound markets are Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Venezuela, Chile, Colombia, Netherlands, China, Switzerland, Peru, Brazil and Austria, in that same order.

As far as the hotel pipeline is concerned, Cuba is engaged in a vast investment program aimed at improving, streamlining and recovering guestrooms in all major travel destinations across the country, coupled with efforts to provide incoming visitors with customized service in heritage-rich cities.

As it has already been announced, next year’s International Tourism Fair will be held in Jardines del Rey, a strip of keys lined up off the northern shore. The 2015 fair will feature Italy as the guest country of honor. Nautical activities will be the themed travel-oriented product.

Cuba’s Tourism Ministry is zeroing in on specialized tourism, with scuba diving, nautical activities, MICE travel, cultural trips, medical tourism, tours and excursions ranking high on the list of options.

As to cruises, the Caribbean country hopes to see some 200 calls across the island. With that view in mind, top executives are mapping out advertising campaigns in a number of outbound markets, especially in Spain and Portugal.

Cubana Airlines will inaugurate a new route from Costa Rica and will add a second flight from Cancun, Mexico. Also on the list are operations by Pegas and the Nordwind airlines to the Varadero beach resort.

Also increased in that period will be two Air Berlin flights to Varadero and the central city of Santa Clara, in addition to flights by Condor from Cologne, Germany.

Interjet Airlines will start flights from Merida, Mexico, and from Poland’s LOT Airlines will fly for the first time to Cayo Santa Maria, in central Cuba.

Copa Airlines will also increase two flights a week to Cayo Santa Maria, while increases in flights from Canada have also been announced.