Cuba Completely Ready to Receive U.S. Tourists, Taleb Rifai Says

Cuba is completely ready to receive U.S. tourists if President Barack Obama lifted the travel ban on American citizens to spend their holidays on the island nation, a possibility the UNWTO would support, the organization’s Secretary General Taleb Rifai said in Havana.

“Cuba is completely ready to welcome U.S. tourists. What I’ve seen over the past couple of days has convinced me that this is an ideal destination capable of receiving visitors and catering to them with the necessary quality standards,” Mr. Rifai was quoted as saying at the National Hotel in the Cuban capital.

The top chief of the United Nations World Tourism Organization pointed out that if travel restrictions on American citizens were lifted, “the proximity of the U.S. market to Cuba would definitely turn the largest Caribbean island nation into one of the most sought-after travel and business destination for the Americans.”

“At the UNWTO, we not only receive this decision with open arms, but we also promote the lifting of all travel restrictions on Cuba because the potential benefits of this action would go straight to the Cuban people,” Mr. Rifai explained.

For the UNWTO secretary general, the loosening of Cuba travel –banned nearly completely since 1961- will mean to be “a step in the right direction.” However, Mr. Rifai added that his organization is not engaged in any kind of lobbying within the U.S. for the sake of this cause.

“Nevertheless, “intense work with private tour operators is going on and they are welcoming these steps with open arms,” Mr. Rifai concluded.