Currently, Cuba welcomes more than million tourists every year, mainly Canadians, Brits and Italians. With the lifting of U.S. travel restrictions, major growth from Americans is anticipated. With its rich history, diverse culture, superb beaches and natural beauty, Cuba is destined to become the Caribbean's new hotspot for American sunbathers.
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) said that after assessing the situation in Japan, it reaffirms that the vast majority of the country is safe to travel to. PATA said nearly all the country is operating as normal, with the exception of the locally impacted tsunami area in the vicinity around the Fukushima nuclear plants. PATA’s Strategic Intelligence Centre reported that inbound and outbound travel has also shown encouraging recovery signs.
The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has launched the Signature Experiences Collection, what it calls a new marketing approach to attract more high-spending international travelers to Canada. The announcement was made by Maxime Bernier, minister of state (small business and tourism).
The St. Kitts Tourism Authority introduced new branding and a new website. The country’s new logo is features an elegant script with an open-heart shaped signature graphic and a new tagline that encourages potential visitors to “follow your heart” to the island. Color schemes for the new branding were inspired by the colors in St. Kitts’ natural landscape.
The past two weeks have been a busy time for U.S. tour operator Insight Cuba, which on June 28 received its license from the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control to relaunch its people-to-people educational and cultural tours to Cuba.
In ceremonies at the newly inaugurated U.S. Consulate here, Marriott International signed agreements with Empire Iraq to manage a 200-room, upscale Marriott Hotels & Resorts-branded hotel and a 75-unit deluxe Marriott Executive Apartments property. Both are planned to open simultaneously in 2014. The addition of these two hotels, Marriott’s first in Iraq, extends the company’s hotel portfolio to 74 countries around the world.