Cuba’s Travel Industry Unscathed as Hurricane Ivan Swirls By

Cuba’s tourist sector –the island nation’s top source of hard currency income- got off scot-free of hurricane Ivan’s fierce gusting winds and it’s now going back to business after remaining virtually stalled for a couple of days, Cuban Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero said this weekend.

“There’re no considerable damages in tourism, only a few of minor proportions and most of them reported in a few facilities along the southern shore. But they’re nothing we can’t have fixed in the short run,” Mr. Marrero was quoted as saying in a press conference.

Hurricane Ivan, ranked as a category five storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, spun northbound Monday night past the tobacco-growing province of Pinar del Rio, on the westernmost tip of Cuba.

This tropical storm, that had already taken a deadly toll of 68 people on its way through the Caribbean islands, claimed no human lives in Cuba.

Over 1.5 million people were evacuated from flooding-prone areas, including 4,324 tourists who were taken to hotels and resorts on higher ground.

Other precaution measures –Mr. Marrero went on to explain- included a mandatory travel ban around the island for travelers and the shutdown of all nautical activities. Both domestic and international flights were called off on Sunday and Monday.

Mr. Marrero pointed out that two days after hurricane Ivan hit the island, “the entire tourist system was back in business and fully operational.”

Cuba’s travel industry continues growing at a dead heat pace with double-digit increments in the number of sunbathers (1.45 million so far this year) as compared to the same span of time in 2003. The island nation is hoping to reach the two-million-tourist milestone in the first half of December.

Some of the highlights of this year’s hefty growth are the British and Canadian markets, with 35 and 30 percent increases respectively, as well as the Scandinavian nations that have so far chipped in a 20 percent spike from 2003.

In the same breath, Spain and Italy –two of Cuba’s other heavyweight markets- have posted 13 and 15 percent hikes respectively, while a number of aggressive campaigns are underway in France, Germany and Mexico in an effort to bring in larger hordes of visitors.

Cuba is equally bent on beefing up publicity with stepped-up promotional blitzes, hands-on participation in fairs and tradeshows, and higher quality of its tourist offers.

Mr. Marrero also indicated that his Ministry is working diligently on the development of nature, nautical and incentive tourisms.

In that respect, the high-ranking official confirmed the upcoming TURNAT 2004 Fair (nature tourism) in Topes de Collantes, in the central province of Sancti Spiritus, and mentioned the preparations for the 25th Tourism Convention in the first week of May 2005 in Havana.

Minister Marrero referred to the visit that one of his deputies is paying to France and Germany with a view to hold talks and sit down with major tour operators. His other undersecretary is appointed to head the Cuban delegation to the WTE in Mexico on Sept. 23 through 29.

As for the remainder of the ongoing year, Cuba will attend all major professional fairs and tradeshows to be held in some of the world’s biggest tourist-sending markets.

High on the list of those events are the Top Resa Tradeshow in France’s Deauville, the Jata Fair in Japan, the China International Travel Mart in Shanghai, the International Tourism Hall in Montreal, and Toronto’s Leisure Show.

Cuba will also be present at the London’s World Travel Market, the Moscow Leisure Fair, Brazil’s ABAV, TTG and BTC Incentives in Italy, Argentina’s FIT (spanning the entire South American region), and a major travel agency fair in Chile.