MPH Ventures' Travelucion Acquires Equity in Havana Based Travel Agency

MPH Ventures Corp. (MPS) has announced that Travelucion has acquired an equity interest in a Cuban travel supplier located in Havana. The travel corporation has been providing Cuban travel services to Travelucion for 7 years as an independent supplier.

On July 8th, MPH Ventures signed a Definitive Agreement to acquire a 20 percent interest in Travelucion S.L in exchange for common shares of MPH Ventures with an option, for a period of eight months, to acquire the remaining 80 percent interest (see news releases July 8th & August 14th, 2015). The Agreement is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Travelucion is a cash-flow positive online travel media company that specializes in travel marketing, electronic reservation and online booking solutions for international visitors to Cuba.

It owns one of the most significant portfolios of Cuba focused web properties and domains that have been promoting Cuba and offering online travel services to the Caribbean nation since 1995.

Recently, Travelucion's revenues have been increasing in the wake of the notable shift in American policy towards Cuba as diplomatic relations between the two nations normalize and with travel restrictions on Americans visiting Cuba expected to gradually relax. Online booking is one of the fastest growing sectors in the travel industry and Travelucion is poised to take advantage of this rapid growth.

Due to the renewed international interest in Cuba, Travelucion is seeking to further acquire equity in its long standing service partners in an effort to vertically integrate the company and to streamline joint back office and booking mechanisms using Travelucion's proprietary Cuba centric booking platform and software. A new and larger joint office will be inaugurated in the trendy Miramar district of Havana on October 1st 2015 to compliment this latest equity based partnership.

By acquiring equity in this locally licensed brick and mortar travel agency, Travelucion will gain unparalleled direct access to exclusive travel services from Cuba's Gaviota Group, one of Cuba's most diverse national travel and leisure corporations.

Gaviota owns 100 percent of all hotels in Cuba's Jardines del Rey Archipelago islands of Cayo Coco, Cayo Santa Maria, Cayo Ensenachos, Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Las Brujas and Cayo Sabinal, all of which are managed by such renowned hotel groups as Melia, Iberostar, Blau, Husa, Royalton, Blue Diamond and Memories. Gaviota also owns numerous hotels in Havana, Varadero, Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, Villa Clara, Trinidad and in other parts of the island including the emblematic 5ta Avenida Hotel and the Memories Miramar Hotel in Havana. Cuba's largest Hotel, Playa Pesquero, is also part of the Gaviota family of hotels.

Aero Gaviota Airlines is the group's national carrier with several international routes from and to Cuba. Via Gaviota Rent a Car is Cuba's second largest car rental company with +60 offices nationwide. Gaviota's leisure division operates numerous entertainment malls such as Pueblo La Estrella and Pueblo Las Dunas along with Dolphin and Aqua Parks. Gaviota owns Cuba's main yacht marinas of Varadero, Cabo San Antonio, Las Brujas and Holguin.

This strategic acquisition further fortifies the strength of Travelucion in the heart of Cuba's travel sector, complementing its online digital media division.

Travelucion owns 100 percent of 432 web assets popularizing Cuban Culture, Music, Celebrities, over sixty major tourist destinations, Golf, Banking and Commerce which collectively generate over 30 million page-views per year.

Through legacy agreements with Cuba's largest travel companies, Travelucion's emblematic e-commerce brands like Havanatur.com, Cuba VIP and GoCuba provide the company with access to a broader and more diverse portfolio of national travel and tourism packages in Cuba than any other travel provider. Travelucion is also uniquely established to handle the travel requirements of qualified U.S. travelers to Cuba.

This allows permitted U.S. travelers, in addition to non-U.S. travelers, the ability to indulge in high end hotel and spa accommodations or create uniquely Cuban travel packages with exclusive private home rentals, exotic/antique car services and access to a multitude of exhilarating guided or self-discovery tours across Cuba.

Travelucion has also developed a strong social media platform of passionate Cuba social media followers across Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instragram.

MPH Ventures and Travelucion will continue to expand the existing travel and Cuba focused marketing initiatives in numerous sectors with a specific spotlight on the emerging U.S.-Cuba travel market.