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Cuba at FITUR 2012. Cuba is present in the 32nd edition of FITUR, an event that because of its international dimension has become an impor-tant scenario to promote this tourist destination under the evocative slo-gan Authentic Cuba. 2

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OTO

: T

TC

Cuba-CARICOM

Summit a Success 2The Caribbean and

the Pan American

Games 4ITB Berlin

Convention 2012 6Upcoming Tourism

Fair in Dominican

Republic 16New Air

Connections in

the Caribbean 21

CTO Forecasts

4-5% Growth in

Arrivals to the

Caribbean 21

Spanish Presence in Caribbean Hotel IndustryMore than 200 hotels are managed in the Caribbean area by some 20 of the most important Spanish hotel chains. Meliá, Iberostar, Riu, Barceló, Bahía Príncipe and Occidental head the list. The Mexican Ca-ribbean, Dominican Republic and Cuba assimilate around 94% of the hotels under management contracts with the Spanish companies. 16

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) will hold its first Regional Summit of the Americas in 2012, in Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico. 9

Gloria Guevara, Mexican secretary of tourism, made

the announcement at a press conference in Paris.

WTTC Regional Summit in Cancún

Mr. D. Javier Landa Aznárez, Eco-nomic and Commercial Coun-selor of the Spanish Embassy in Havana, speaks to TTC about the presence of Spanish companies in Cuba, especially those associated to the tourism sector. 12

Interview with Mr. D. Javier Landa

Aznárez, Economic and Commer-

cial Counselor of the Spanish Em-

bassy in Havana

Cuba-Spain Economic Relations Have Deep Roots

Poste italiane Spa - Sped. in Abb. Post. D.L. 353/2003 Conv. in L. 27/02/2004, no. 46 Art. 1 comma 1, DCB Milano - Prezzo per copia EURO 0,25

Year XII • No. 207 • January 2012 • Regular Edition • www.traveltradecaribbean.com • ISSN 1724 - 5370

International Tourism Publication founded in 1996

2 TRAVEL TRADE CARIBBEAN • YEAR XII • NO. 207 • JANUARY 2012

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was created on July 4, 1973 through the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago, to transform the Caribbean Free Trade Association into a Common Market. It is made up by 15 nations: Antigua and Bar-buda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Domini-ca, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Mont-serrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. The associated mem-bers are: Anguilla, Bermuda, Cayman Is-lands, British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos.

Cuba-CARICOM Summit a Success Attended by all the heads of state of the Caribbean countries, the 4th Cuba-CAR-ICOM Summit was held successfully last December in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The bilateral gathering examined, for the benefit of the region’s peoples, a broad-ranging agenda on issues like: new areas of collaboration, expansion of invest-ments, risks of climate change and natural disasters, regional integration, sustainable renewable energy, the fight against terror-ism and drug trafficking, as well as the re-construction of Haiti. The Summit ended with the approval of the Final Declaration of Port of Spain, con-taining a summary of the approved agree-ments, reference to the achievements of cooperation between Cuba and the coun-tries of the Caribbean Community in the spheres of health, education and training of human resources, and a message of con-demnation of the extraterritorial character of the U.S. blockade on Cuba. ■

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Information will be given on the wide-ranging possibilities of the destination for the development of the combined modali-ties and circuits through a perfect integra-tion of the sun and beach product with pro-posals to enjoy nature, cultural, historic, health and quality of life tourism, and the holding of events, congresses and incen-tives.

MINTUR is making known the princi-pal events for 2012: the International Tour-ism Fair of Cuba, which will take place May 8-11 in Cayo Santa María, with Argentina as the guest country and dedicated to the family tourism product; Fotosub Cayo Lar-go, an underwater photography event that will serve as the antechamber for the next Underwater Photography World Cham-pionship of the World Confederation of Underwater Activities in 2013, and whose venue will be Cuba; the Ernest Heming-way Marlin Fishing Tournament and others like Dance in Cuba, the Varadero Gourmet, the Montecristo Golf Tournament and the Meeting of Fiends and Clients of Partagás. ■

The participation in the meet will facil-itate the establishment of important commercial agreements, the identi-

fication of new lines of business geared at boosting the increase of tourist income and the arrival of visitors to the island, at a time of consolidation of the so-called smokeless industry, which in 2011 again surpassed for the eighth consecutive year the figure of two million tourist arrivals, confirming the po-sition of the destination as competition for other Caribbean vacation spots.

The Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) heads Cuba’s tourist representation together with the Cubatur, Cubanacán Viajes, Gavi-ota Tours, Viajes San Cristóbal and Ecotur travel agencies; the hotel chains Gran Ca-ribe, Islazul, Cubanacán and Gaviota; the Palmares business group, the Habaguanex group, Cubana Airlines and other entities like Amistur, Paradiso and the Museum of Fine Arts. All of them have included in their agendas professional meetings with the principal tour operator partners, airlines, associated hotel chains, among others.

Nature tourism will be one of the modalities that will be promoted together with the sun and beach product.

Photo: Courtesy of the Cuban Ministry of Tourism

Cuba at FITUR 2012

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the participants had the oppor-tunity to be direct protagonists, the Pan American fiesta demon-strated the unity of the Caribbe-an and all of America.”.

Rafael, a 6th year student of the career of physical education, became interested in sports when he was almost six years old and his inclination for pelota got to him through his father. When he was 10 he began his first com-petitions and later on he became the national multi medal winner through the regulation catego-ries until he was chosen to make up the national pre-selection when he was barely 15 years old.

His most important results as a high performance athlete include: bronze medals in the Pelota Junior World Champion-ship, Valdepeñas, Spain (2007) and Trinquete Leather Racket Junior World Championship, En-tre Ríos, Gualeguay, Argentina (2009); and gold medals in the Open of Panama, Male Pelota, Panama City (2008) and ALBA Games, Leather Racket, Ven-ezuela; and 16th Pan American Games, Leather Racket, Guadala-jara, Mexico (2011).

Lastly, the athlete noted to TTC that: “Since we got to the venue, we felt the fraternal welcome of its people, the support of all the peo-ple of Guadalajara, Jalisco. The or-ganization, sports installations, its beautiful Villa, gave a pretty image. Right from the start, with what was a marvelous and spectacular inau-guration where for the first time all

Basque pelota player RAFAEL FERNÁNDEZ SUÁREZ, one of the youngest athletes among the gold medal winners in the Gua-dalajara 2011 Games, in state-ments to TTC said: “Being a Pan American gold medal winner for me represents a great hon-or since after representing my country, with great pride and dedication, I achieved the final goal of ranking at the top of my specialty, pelota with a leather racket, together with my partner Azuán Pérez Tarrau.

“This medal also gave a boost to Cuba in its goal of achieving second place by nations, which filled me with emotion and joy since we found out that all the people were on top of the re-sults. I don’t have words to de-scribe my feelings when I heard the notes of the national anthem on the podium, but what is sure was that I made one of my prin-cipal dreams in my sports career come true and it’s something I’ll never forget, since it will be an unforgettable memory of that historic event, catalogued as the best in the history of the Pan American Games.”

Rafael Fernández Suárez. Photo: TTC

Rafael Fernández Suárez, dressed in white, in the front, together with his specialty

comrade, Azuán Pérez Tarrau, in the back, during the competition.

Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Dominica. Antigua and Bar-buda, Grenada, Haiti and Saint Lucia were again unable to be in-cluded, while in these Games Saint Kitts-Nevis and Guyana did achieve it.

Individually, the gold medals of Cuban Yarisley Silva in pole vault; of Bahamian Donald Alexander Thomas in high jump; Cayma-nian Bret Fraser, continent record holder in the 200 meter free style in swimming; and that of Marc De Maar, from the Netherlands Antil-les, in the 120 meter bicycle race, were pleasant surprises. ■

By Luis Pascual

The Pan American Games, the largest sports fiesta in Amer-ica, were hosted in their 16th

edition by the Mexican city of Guadalajara, capital of the state of Jalisco, from October 14 to 30, 2011.

These Games brought together the best athletes of the continent, who vied for the topmost honors in 47 sports disciplines. Among them were athletes from 20 of the 31 Ca-ribbean countries, who won 75 gold, 64 silver and 76 bronze med-als for a total of 215.

Cuba again, the Games’ run-ner-up and only surpassed by the United States, headed that geo-graphic area with 58 titles. The other Caribbean nations that won gold medals were the Dominican Republic, in 9th place with seven; Puerto Rico in 12th place with six; while Jamaica, in the 14th place, only won one; Bahamas and Cay-man Islands, came in 15th; The Netherlands Antilles in 17th; Trin-idad and Tobago in 21st; Barbados in 24th; and Dominica in 27th.

When comparing the Carib-bean countries’ performance in the table of medals of the previous Rio de Janeiro 2007 Pan Ameri-can Games with that of Guadala-jara 2011 we can see that the area’s level was maintained. The num-ber of gold medals was the same in both Games, 75; they won 64 silver medals in Rio de Janeiro while in Guadalajara the figures decreased to 57; in terms of the bronze med-als it was the opposite since in the South American country they won 76 as compared to 85 in the Mex-ican city. The total increased by one, since215 medals were won in 2007 while in 2011 the figure went up to 216.

Ten countries appeared again the table of medals by nation: Cu-ba, Dominican Republic, Puer-to Rico, Jamaica, Bahamas, Cay-man Islands, Netherlands Antilles,

The Largest Sports Fiesta in America

T H E C A R I B B E A N A N D T H E P A N A M E R I C A N G A M E S


Cuban exponents of Meliá’s highest-ranking brand of vacation hotels in the Caribbean. These five-star and Ultra-All-Inclusive eco-re-sorts stand out for their Royal Service, where guests enjoy the luxury of a private area that includes swimming pool, bar, restaurant, ex-clusive beach and very personalized attention.

Since the Royal Service is also present in high-standard city hotels, this guarantees the possibility of enjoying authentic deluxe com-binations.

The Paradisus Resorts are also renowned for their Yhi Spa, for experiences full of ener-gy, and Deluxe Rooms, a selection of its best suites for guests who don’t wish the Royal Ser-vice, but always with the highest standard, and enjoy special attentions.

For family tourism, weddings and hon-eymoons, only adults and couples, spa and wellness, golf and diving and fishing, teenage birthday celebrations, singles, incentive and business trips…for any travel plan, Meliá Cuba has the offer that meets your needs. ■

animation offer. This portfolio of hotels op-erates in Cuba under four brands that repre-sent different experiences.

They are Paradisus, an exclusive Premi-um insignia of deluxe vacation hotels; Meliá, of a medium-high gamut, in beach as well as city; Tryp, focused on the medium seg-ment for leisure or business; and Sol, which as a beach All Inclusive for families, groups of friends and seniors stands out for its inex-pensive character.

These hotels stand out for their specializa-tion in several market segments to differenti-ate themselves and achieve a high quality stan-dard in services.

To this is added the exclusive services that enhance the experience of those choosing the Meliá Cuba hotels. Especially outstanding is the proposal designed for the high-income segment: Paradisus Resorts, Royal Service, Deluxe Rooms and Yhi Spa.

Paradisus Princesa del Mar, Paradisus Varadero and Paradisus Río de Oro are the

Meliá Cuba provides the opportunity of combining different travel ideas in one same visit to the largest of the

Caribbean islands. Thanks to its presence in the principal Cuban tourist regions, var-ied hotels and their adequate segmentation, travelers can live dissimilar experiences.

This is the reason why Meliá Cuba offers the broadest gamut of options to combine different travel ideas and enjoy the attrac-tions of the beach, city, culture, nature and incentives.

Havana, Varadero, Cayo Santa María, Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Coco, Holguín, San-tiago de Cuba and Cayo Largo del Sur are home to the 25 hotels and resorts managed by Meliá in the largest Caribbean archipel-ago.

They are all four- and five-star hotels that stand out for their painstaking attention, extensive repertoire of services, diverse fa-cilities, concern for quality, care for the en-vironment, exquisite cuisine and creative

All of Cuba in Meliá

of transport, and present examples of the latest best practices and new findings on climate-friendly transport. In addition to ecologi-cal and economic issues, ITB will also examine aspects of social sustainability and for the first will include the topic of accessibil-ity.

A new format dealing with the topic of health tourism has been put together for this year. In collaboration with visitBerlin nine companies and destinations will introduce their concepts during four-minute slots at the "ITB Health Tourism Battle"..

ITB Berlin is the global travel industry's leading trade show. In 2011 a total of 11,163 companies from 188 countries displayed their products and services to 170,000 visitors, who included 110,791 trade visitors. ■

www.itb-convention.com

ITB Berlin 2012 will take place from Wednesday 7 to Sunday 11 March, and from Wednesday to Friday will be open to trade visitors only. Parallel with the trade show, the ITB Berlin Con-

vention, the largest travel industry event of its kind in the world, will be held from March 7 to 9 and will once again be taking a look at the most important trends in the international travel industry.

Dr. Martin Buck, director of the Competence Center Travel & Logistics, has said: "Over the past eight years the ITB Berlin Con-vention has earned itself a reputation as an important compass of the global tourism industry. Every year the convention combines innovative topics and exclusive surveys with outstanding speakers of international standing."

The ITB Berlin Convention will have a broad range to offer at the ITB Mobility Day, which for the first time will cover all forms

Podium discussions on the shortfall in workers and managers – ITB Mobility Day the new "theme day" - ITB

Health Tourism Battle, with visitBerlin as an innovative format for companies and destinations.

The Compass of the International Travel IndustryI T B B E R L I N C O N V E N T I O N 2 0 1 2


Cigar Bar. Photo: Courtesy of Barceló Hotels & Resorts

Grand Suite Palace, view from the rear. Photo: TTC

Property of the Gaviota S.A. tourism group and management shared with the Spanish Barceló Hotels & Resorts chain, this ro-mantic hotel, surrounded by beau-tiful gardens and marine land-scapes, has 85 rooms with a view to the sea: 80 junior suites, four suites and a Grand Suite Palace.

The Grand Suite Palace is a spectacular two-story chalet (cov-ering a total space of 300 m2), completely independent, with private entrance, two luxurious rooms, three bathrooms, kitchen, bar, living and dining rooms, Ja-cuzzi, terraces, swimming pool and a private quay. Its exclusive services include: nanny (the only room in Cayo Libertad that allows children), butler, cook, airport-ho-tel-airport transportation, direct telephone line, hi-fi music equip-ment.

Four 80 m2 comfortable du-plex suites, finely decorated with a Cuban colonial touch and to-tally equipped with satellite TV, DVD, direct telephone line, office furniture and living room, terrace or balcony; more than 80 junior suites (40 m2), also equipped with all the facilities, complete the room plant of the Barceló Cayo Libertad.

You will always be welcome to enjoy the beauty of the Caribbean in this dream scenario that is the Barceló Cayo Libertad Club Pre-mium, a new concept of personal-ized and exclusive service, which is why it is showing a growing index of repeat guests. Ideal for couples, weddings, honeymoons, anniver-sary celebrations, conventions, events, groups and incentive or business trips. ■

▶ Autopista Sur final Punta Hicacos, Varadero, CubaTel: (53-45) 66 [email protected]@[email protected]

ming pool bar, cigar bar with air conditioning and open terrace; a private freshwater swimming pool whose edges seem to merge with the sea, direct access to the beach area, gazebo for weddings and celebrations and business center with access to the Inter-net. Moreover, its clients can have unlimited use of all the Barceló Marina Palace’s services and in-stallations, like tracks and sports club, nautical point, wellness center, discotheque, theater, ani-mation, five bars and six restau-rants – with priority to make res-ervations in the three a la carte restaurants.

with Spain is still not significant, probably due to little knowledge about the product. The most im-portant tour operator is Air Can-ada Vacations, followed by FTI, Press Tours and Transat Canada.

The Barceló Cayo Libertad Club Premium operates under the All-Inclusive regimen. Its principal services and installa-tions include: reception, round-the-clock room and concierge services; courtesy early check-in and late check-out (according to availability), private check-in and check-out; the gourmet interna-tional cuisine and Caribbean fu-sion El Peñón Restaurant, swim-

At the tip of the Hicacos Pen-insula, on the small key of Cayo Libertad and sealing

the strip of hotels in Varadero, the Barceló Cayo Libertad Club Premium***** harmonizes with the virginal nature and a seduc-tive private beach. Connected to terra firma by a picturesque bridge over a causeway, as a nov-elty it offers its Only for Adults (18 years and over) product start-ing this 2011/2012 winter season.

Located facing the Marina Gaviota and in the vicinity of the Punta Hicacos Ecological Park, the Dolphinarium, the Plaza América Convention Center and the Varadero Golf Club, the Bar-celó Cayo Libertad is just 40 km away from Varadero’s Juan Gual-berto Gómez International Air-port and is close to the cities of Cárdenas and Matanzas, impor-tant centers of cultural tourism.

Luxury, exclusiveness, priva-cy, relaxation and safety become protagonists together with re-spect for the ecology. In the free-of-charge internal transport, on-ly small electric cars cross the bridge to get to the key, and solar panel batteries attenuate the en-ergy consumption.

Physically adjoined to the Bar-celó Marina Palace Hotel, both are incorporated, but, being an exclusive area, the Cayo Libertad Club Premium is independently marketed. Despite the fact that this is a private space, it is not in itself a royal service, although it offers some services of this type.

The Canadian market is the first to come to the Barceló Cayo Libertad, like in the rest of Varadero Beach resort; it is fol-lowed by Italy (mainly coming through Press Tours) and Germa-ny (as a first option through FTI and Schauisland). The operation

Bridge connecting Cayo Libertad with terra firma. Photo: Courtesy

of Barceló Hotels & Resorts

Cayo LibertadA Garden of Eden at the End of Varadero

9TRAVEL TRADE CARIBBEAN • YEAR XII • NO. 207 • JANUARY 2012

The Cuban International Book Fair will be dedicated to the cultures of the peoples of the

Greater Caribbean, conceived as a cultural melting pot, diverse as well as united by its history, and made up by the 14 insular states, plus Mexico and the Central and South American countries with coasts to the Caribbean Sea.

Tribute will be paid to Carib-bean works and authors, as well as the common thinking of the peo-ples of the region, during the 21st edition of the Fair, to be held Feb-ruary 9-19 in its principal venue of the San Carlos de la Cabaña For-tress in Havana, and until March 4 in the country’s other provinc-es. ■

The public’s assistance to La Cabaña is massive during the days of the Fair.

Cuban International Book Fair Dedicated to Caribbean

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) will hold its first Regional Summit of the Americas in 2012, in Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico. It was announced that the Secretariat of Tourism and

the president of that World Council, David Scowsill, signed an agree-ment through which Mexico is designated as the venue of that first Summit, from May 16 to 18, which aims to gather the leaders of the in-ternational tourism industry, who will exchange points of view about the sector’s situation in the face of the complex global economic situa-tion.

The principal objective of the agreement signed by the Secretariat and the WTTC is the strengthening of tourism to promote employment and improve the economic activity and standard of living of the popu-lation.

The WTTC is an international agency in charge of promoting tour-ism’s sustainable growth, for which it works in coordination with di-verse government authorities of several world countries. ■

WTTC Regional Summit in Cancún.

WTTC Regional Summit in Cancún


▶ The renovated Manejando Cuba (Driving through Cuba) program has been put to the consideration of the market.

SOME OF THE CUBATUR PROJECTIONS

THAT STAND OUT INCLUDE:

▶ Group departures are being promoted in the circuits offer, with added value and personalized services.

▶ Eastern Cuba is being strengthened with facilities in collective contracting and services, with no risk for tour operators.

▶ The assistance modality has been completely renovated in all the tourist destinations; the offices’ mission will be to make the client feel accompanied and totally informed.

Cubatur will continue working in 2012 to strengthen relations with all the tour op-erators in the market, based on a f lexible, innovative and creative contracting for its clients, as well as to raise the quality of its services.

You choose, Cubatur satisfies…

2012 TOURIST PRODUCTS

▶ Broad-ranging offer of circuits and mini circuits throughout Cuba, with no minimum of passengers and with guaranteed departures.

▶ The Circuitos Aromas (Aroma Circuits) continue and they are the union of different mini circuits that make up a very complete long-stay product, and at promotion prices.

▶ Launching of the AHORRO (Saving) Offer based on the programming of tours for sales with more than 60 days in advance.

▶ Launching of a very complete offer of Combinations (Havana-Varadero-Keys-Holguín-Santiago de Cuba) through modules that include all the land services with extra-hotel activities.

▶ The Cuba Te Espera (Cuba Awaits You) programs are offered with creativity for the constitution of a different product in the market.

SPANISH MARKET’S PERFORMANCE IN

2011

Despite this market’s situation, Spain reg-istered a 20% growth for Cubatur, as com-pared to 2010, at the close of 2011 and with an excellent month of December that has helped to end the year successfully, in addi-tion to having been evaluated as satisfactory since new operations of great importance for the company and the country were consoli-dated.

According to Cubatur sources, negotia-tions were established this year with col-leagues with a great deal of experience in the market, from which interesting projects have come out that they will be able to close, as a whole, in the framework of the FITUR 2012 fair and that will begin in the short and medium term in 2012.

Regarding the tourist products, the sale of circuits throughout Cuba was the most im-portant; the increase in the sale for groups was again given a boost and other modalities have started operating with force.

Unfortunately, Portugal has not had the same performance, but Cubatur’s clients have all the support of the company, which will work as of FITUR to motivate again the market toward Cuba.

TO UR O P ER ATO R S T H AT WO R K W I T H C UB AT UR

SPA IN P O R T U G A L

Corte Inglés Mundo Vip

Politour Iberoservice

Angalia

Ibercan Caribe

Club 5 Estrellas

Mapa Tours

Tierra Dorada / Solplan / Viva Cuba

Aquatravel

Online Tours

Logitravel

Solways

Havanatur

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CubaturOne More Year of Strengthening

Spanish Market


This mutual knowledge facilitates the search for opportunities to develop joint ventures, in Cuba as well as in Spain and, al-though it is still in its initial stage, in third countries with which one of the two sides maintains special connections. Moreover, these meetings are suitable to maintain con-tacts with the economic authorities of the two countries and to get to know firsthand the situation and perspective of our econo-mies, and the most important future proj-ects for which collaboration can be estab-lished. Q – What position does Cuba hold for Spain as a market and as a supplier? Spanish exports to Cuba increased 26% in 2010, up to 591,000€, which allowed us to recover part of the market quota lost in 2009. This improvement has had continu-ity in the January-June 2011 period, in which Spanish exports registered an important in-crease of 38.6% as compared to the same pe-riod last year, to reach 306,000€, although this percentage increase is likely to start de-creasing throughout the year. Among the principal products that Spain exports to Cu-ba are iron and steel products, automobile parts, electrical material, equipment for the manipulation of f luids, agricultural equip-ment, paints and varnishes, food, etc. In terms of Spanish imports from Cuba, the January-June 2011 data show an impor-tant growth of 50% as compared to the same period in 2010, up to 85,000€. The gross of the Cuban exports are made up, as usual, by tobacco, seafood, rum and diverse scrap metals.

ple and the deep and long-standing relations they maintain with the Cuban administra-tion and companies in all sectors. The As-sociation is made up of 250 Spanish compa-nies with interests in Cuba and is an entity that represents and supports the interests of these companies before the Cuban as well as the Spanish authorities. It is a regular interlocutor of the Office for carrying out activities of promotion and is a continuous referent to know the situa-tion and expectations of the Spanish busi-ness community. Q – How does the Bilateral Committee on Business Cooperation operate? The Bilateral Committee was cre-ated around the mid 1990s and its objective is to establish the most direct possible rela-tion between the companies of both coun-tries, under the coordination of two business institutions like the Chamber of Commerce of Cuba and the Higher Council of Cham-bers of Commerce of Spain. Since then it has been holding annual meetings, usually alter-nating the places for the meetings between Cuba and Spain. The successive meetings of the Com-mittee have made possible a better mutual knowledge among the principal companies interested in economic relations between both countries. The presidents of the Com-mittee, on the Spanish as well as the Cuban side, usually travel to the country where the meeting is held accompanied by a broad del-egation of the interested companies, which are usually represented by their highest ranking executives.

Q – Mr. Landa, what role does the Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Em-bassy in Havana play, taking into account that Spain is one of Cuba’s principal trade partners? Spain’s Commercial Office represents and defends the economic interests of our country and of our companies in Cuba and for this it basically carries out two types of functions. On the one hand, in the commer-cial area the Office promotes the export of Spanish products to Cuba, organizing activ-ities like the participation in Cuban fairs or the preparation, together with the Chamber of Commerce of Cuba, of interview agendas for the Spanish businesspeople who visit Cu-ba on business trips. On the other hand, the Office defends before the Cuban adminis-tration the economic interests of the Span-ish companies established in Cuba (approx-imately 250) and those others that export directly from Spain (more than 500 compa-nies do so regularly). We also deal with representing the inter-ests of Spanish companies before the Cuban administration in the tourist sector and we try to promote Spanish investment in Cuba, always respecting the norms and guidelines established by its authorities. Q – What are the Office’s links with the Association of Spanish Businesspeople in Cuba? The Association of Spanish Businesspeo-ple in Cuba is the only association of foreign businesspeople that functions in the coun-try and this is recognition of the importance of the economic activity of our businesspeo-

Interview with Mr. D. Javier Landa

Aznárez, Economic and Commer-

cial Counselor of the Spanish Em-

bassy in Havana

Cuba-Spain Economic Relations Have Deep Roots


there are around 10 hotel joint ventures in which Spanish companies also participate. On the other hand, the number of Span-ish tourists, despite our economic crisis, has remained in recent years at around 100,000 a year, a figure that places us, after the United Kingdom, among the first European coun-tries that issue tourists to Cuba. In any case, our interests in the sector are much broader and the Spanish compa-nies are among the first suppliers of tourist equipment and food and beverages for the hotel sector; our airlines (Iberia and Air Eu-ropa) maintain the highest number of f lights with the European continent, and there are numerous complementary tourist activities in which the Spanish companies also par-ticipate. Q – Are there perspectives for new invest-ment projects in the real estate sector? The Cuban tourist authorities’ new guidelines about the development of projects that include golf courses, hotels, marinas, etc. have created great interest among the Spanish promoters, and some of our coun-try’s groups are already negotiating concrete projects with the Cuban authorities. We are sure that when the juridical framework in which these investments will take place is complete, the Spanish companies will be, as always, at the vanguard of investments in the tourist sector. Q – What incidence has the International Havana Trade Fair had in the commercial re-lations between Spain and Cuba? The Spanish participation in FIHAV 2011 has been, in my opinion, a big success in many aspects. In the first place, Spain has had for the first time an official pavilion in which companies from all the Spanish regions have been represented. Moreover, the pavilion has helped to present a homogeneous, mod-ern and attractive image of our country and has contributed to highlighting the qual-ity of our products. In the second place, the Spanish companies have doubled their par-ticipation to reach 120 companies, with a to-tal space taking up close to 2,800m2. In clear correspondence with the level of our pavil-ion and the volume of our participation, this year Spain has won the Fair’s most impor-tant awards. Spain received the Award to the most numerous participation, to the Best Pa-vilion and the Integral Publicity and Com-munication Grand Prix. Moreover, around 15 Spanish companies received awards for innovation, quality, etc. Finally, and this is the most important, the opinions expressed by our companies at the end of the Fair were very positive regard-ing the contacts made and the expectations for business deals for the next year with their Cuban counterparts. We are very satisfied with the development of the Fair this year and we have high hopes that in next year’s edition we will be able to surpass the goals achieved in 2011. ■

portant industrial sectors with products that are very well-known by Cuban consumers, like Bravo, Suchel Camacho, Suchel Proqui-mia, Colchones Flex, Durero, Compacto Ca-ribe, etc., or in the services sector, like Aguas de La Habana Water Company, TCH (Con-tainer Terminal), Iberia and Air Europa, or in the financial sector, like the joint financ-ing companies Financiera Iberoamericana and Corporación Financiera. Many Cubans are also familiar with the names of the ma-jor Spanish hotel companies, which manage some of the country’s most renowned and prestigious hotels. Q – Specifically, what participation do the travel sector, hotel industry and tourism contribute in the commercial and investment f lows? The Spanish companies have been fun-damental actors, together with the Cuban companies, in the development of the tour-ist sector in Cuba ever since its beginning. In fact, the majority of the Spanish invest-ments in Cuba date back to the mid 1990s, when the country modified its regulations to facilitate the creation of joint ventures and other investment modalities like coop-eration productions and management con-tracts. Ever since then, practically all the important Spanish hotel chains have estab-lished themselves in Cuba, and around 60 hotels, in both beach and city, among them some of the country’s most emblematic, are managed by Spanish companies. Moreover,

The trade balance has traditionally fa-vored Spain. Our country is Cuba’s third supplier, after Venezuela and China, and Cuba is for us the sixth country consumer of Spanish products in Latin America. Cuba ranks 87th among all the countries that ex-port to Spain in the world. Q – Could you refer to the Spanish regions that are most represented in the commercial and investment f lows? The principal exporters to Cuba are Cata-lonia, Madrid, the Basque Country and the Valencia Community. Among the four they add up to 75% of the Spanish exports and the remaining 25% is distributed among the rest of the communities, with quotas that are less than 4%. In general there is a great deal of stability in terms of the weight of each Com-munity regarding the total in the 2007-2010 period. In terms of investments, we don’t have up-to-date data, but the ranking of Spanish regions should be, I’m almost com-pletely sure, very similar to that correspond-ing to the exporting regions. Q – Which sectors of the Cuban economy have offered the greatest business opportuni-ties for Spanish companies? The economic relations between our two countries have had deep roots for ma-ny years; they are intense and practically ex-tend to all the country’s economic activities. There are more than 200 branches of Span-ish companies established in Cuba, which give a boost to trade and economic coopera-tion in all sectors. Moreover, more than 50 Spanish-Cuban joint ventures are function-ing, and they are participating in very im-

Venue of the Economic and Commercial Office of the

Spanish Embassy in Havana. Photo: TTC

Made on request, to publish punctual and useful news of institutional interest. It is sent through 40,000 addresses in Cuba, Ita-ly, Spain and the United States, among the most representative.

TTC NewsLetterELECTRONIC BULLETINIn Spanish, Italian and English it features

a summary of the printed newspaper and other sections of interest. It contains an archive of historical information from the printed editions and e-bulletins.

www.traveltradecaribbean.com

TTC website

Weekly news supplement in Spanish, Italian and English that makes known, through the web, the latest and most important news about the area’s tourist sector. It is sent through a mailing list of 40,000 addresses.

TTC NewsNews Bulletin

A detailed list of the insular Caribbean’s tour-ist entities, with updated data and email ad-dresses. In Spanish, Italian and English, the COB can also be found in digital format by visiting:www.caribbeanoperatorsbook.com

Caribbean Operators Book

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MAIN FORMATS FOR PRINTED INSERTION

2012 EDITIONS

First semester Second semester

January Fitur, Madrid, Spain September Top Resa, Paris, France

February BIT, Milan, Italy October TTG Incontri, Rimini, Italy

March ITB, Berlin, Germany November FIHAV, Havana, Cuba

March MAP, Paris, France November WTM, London, U.K.

April BMT, Naples, Italy

May FITCUBA, Santa María Cay, Cuba

PRINTED NEWSPAPERIt is distributed in the world’s principal tour-ism fairs in Italian, English, Spanish and French. It also presents every year the Spe-cial Edition for FIHAV in Havana, one of the region’s most important fairs. It is also sent, in the digital version –in Spanish, Italian and English– through an extensive mailing list. Both distribution channels, printed and digi-tal, add up to more than 50,000 impacts per edition.

TTC, Travel Trade Caribbean

2012EDITORIAL STAFF IN ITALY

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[email protected] / +39 02 36540545

MARKETING FOR THE CARIBBEAN

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Tel.: +53 5 236 5591

Catalogue Summary


operators. More than 200 repre-sentatives of tour operators, the hotel industry and other tourism service companies participated in the last edition. ■

The National Association of Hotels and Tourism an-nounced that the 13th edi-

tion of the Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange (DATE 2012) will be held April 17-19 in Punta Cana. The commercial fair is be-ing organized together with the 1st Tourism Promotion Coun-cil, sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism.

International tour operators, travel agencies and tourism pro-fessionals participate in DATE to define joint venture strategies with hotels and other local tour

Upcoming Tourism Fair in Dominican Republic

SPANISH HOTEL CHAINS

Mex

ican

Car

ibbe

an

Dom

inic

an R

epub

lic

Cuba

Jam

aica

Aru

ba

Bah

amas

Puer

to R

ico

Pana

ma

Colo

mbi

an C

arib

bean

37 Meliá Hotels International 5 5 25 1 1

24 Iberostar Hotels & Resorts 9 6 6 3

21 Riu Hotels & Resorts 10 8 1 1 1

18 Barceló Hotels & Resorts 7 7 4

15 Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts 4 10 1

13 Occidental Hotels & Resorts 5 3 3 1 1

12 Fiesta Hotel Group 5 5 2

11 Be Live Hotels - Globalia 3 6 2

8 BlueBay Hotels & Resorts 3 2 3

8 Hoteles Catalonia 5 3

7 Hoteles C 7

6 Princess Hotels & Resorts 2 4

6 Sirenis Hotels & Resorts 2 2 2

5 Celuisma Hotels & Resorts 3 2

4 Blau Hotels & Resorts 1 3

4 H10 Hotels 2 1 1

4 Hoteles Sandos 4

2 NH Hoteles 2

1 Hoteles Mac 1

1 Hotasa Hoteles 1

1 Cotursa 1FO

TO:

CO

RTE

SÍA

MEL

IÁ H

OTE

LS I

NTE

RN

ATIO

NA

L.

2

Principal Spanish hotel chains pre-

sent in some Caribbean destina-

tions

Spanish Presence in Caribbean Hotel Industry


aquatic sports and shows which our guests enjoy during their stay. ■

Málaga, December 23, 2011Pepa Montiel — HOTELES C

Raytur Caribe, S.A.

Main Office: Palacio de Congresos y Exposicio-nes, C. México, 3 -3a planta / 29620 Torremolinos – Málaga –Spain

Tel.: +34.952.05.13.08 /Fax: +34.952.05.05.81 Email: [email protected]

Cuba Branch: 5ta Avenida Número 6403, entre 64 y 66, Municipio Playa, Havana, Cuba

Tel.: 53.7.204.93.08 / Fax: 53.7.204.93.09Email: [email protected]

www.hotelesc.com

The Hoteles C hotel company is coming to this edition of FITUR 2012 with a tight agenda of meetings with the prin-

cipal Spanish tour operators as well as with agencies of the Canadian, Italian and Rus-sian markets. It will present the latest novel-ties and will close important agreements for 2012 with the purpose of over fulfilling its objectives for this new year. Thus, Hoteles C has ended 2011 by closing its balances with a total income of 10% more than the previ-ous year.

With more than 15 years managing hotels, an extensive experience endorses the com-pany, which has been consolidating the trust of its collaborators while promoting the des-tination, to incorporate to its management operations seven hotel establishments in Cu-ba with a total of 1,515 rooms under the HO-TELES C brand name.

Its portfolio includes a city hotel in Ha-vana, 25 villas and two hotels in Playas del Este and three tourist resorts in Varadero. We find the emblematic Presidente Hotel in Havana, symbol of elegance and colonial style, by the Malecón seaside drive. Just 20 km from the capital, in Santa María Beach, are the Tropicoco Hotel and the Atlántico-Villa Los Pinos complex. And in Varadero beach resort, the Aguas Azules, Barloven-to and Arenas Doradas hotels offer a wide range of services in the 24-hour All Inclu-sive, gastronomic diversity, animation,

Hoteles C at FITUR 2012

Presidente (top) and Tropicoco (below) hotels. Pho-

tos: Courtesy of Cuban Ministry of Tourism


ket as well as their generaliza-tion, through contacts between exhibitors, buyers and profes-sional visitors from different parts of the world.

Meanwhile, it is expected that representatives from 27 nations from Central America, South America, North America and the Caribbean will attend the Pan American Convention. Four forums will analyze the strate-gic lines of Pan American engi-neering in subjects like: inser-tion of young people and women into engineering, how to combat corruption in the engineering sector and how to organize en-gineering practices in America and the Caribbean. ■

▶ fecons.netcons.com.cu

▶ www.upadicuba.com

Workers from a construction company working in the new residential neighbor-

hoods on the outskirts of Havana. Photo: TTC

Havana will be the simulta-neous venue of the 9th In-ternational Construction

Fair (Fecons 2012), an attrac-tive market of the construction sector for businesspeople, from April 10 to 14, in the PABEXPO fairgrounds, associated to the 33rd Pan American Engineer-ing Convention (UPADI 2012), which will take place April 9-13 in the Havana Convention Cen-ter.

Until now, more than 1,400 m2 of exhibition area have been set aside by 10 countries for Fe-cons 2012. A biennial event, the International Construction Fair takes up an important space in Cuba’s international commercial activity; it enables getting ac-quainted with products and new technologies that allow their in-troduction into the Cuban mar-

Fecons 2012 and Pan American Engineering Convention

Main avenue, the principal marker for the division of the cemetery in four areas. Photo: TTC

Sculptured entrance to the cemetery, work of Spanish

architect Calixto de Loira. Photo: TTC

Marta Abreu; Dominican-Cuban indepen-dence patriot Máximo Gómez; Major Gen-eral Calixto García; the friend and com-piler of the complete works of José Martí, Gonzalo de Quesada y Aróstegui; Julián del Casal, a profound precursor of literary modernism on the island, among others.

The capital ’s cemetery houses numerous curiosities, beyond the overwhelming data of including in its majestic perimeter of 3,800 meters some 70,000 museum objects and more than 20,000 historical monu-ments. We can begin with its love stories, surprising epitaphs – just think about the unnamable feast evoked by Lezama in his -, domino and chess pieces, tombs that have been built as centers for religious pil-grimages, which is the case of the Milagro-sa and Brother José.

Another of the indispensable sites to be visited in Colón Cemetery is the funeral art museum hall, where around 50 sculp-ture pieces built with marble or bronze are on exhibit, including a display of tomb-stones from the former Espada Cemetery.

Let us then welcome the restoration of such an emblematic place, a peaceful shel-ter of the City of Havana. ■

mer splendor, just a few meters from the Cemetery’s main entrance, belong to illus-trious figures of Cuba’s history. Just to cite a few examples: Santa Clara benefactor

By Julio Antonio Gómez DíazProfessor of the Don Fernando Ortiz House of Higher Studies, University of Havana

L ast October 30 Colón Cemetery cel-ebrated the 140th anniversary of its foundation. Created in 1871 as a re-

sponse to the expansion of the city of Ha-vana and the increasing population densi-ty, it came to replace in its funeral work the first Havana cemetery created in 1803 under the imprint of illustrious Bishop Espada.

This sea of lit-up marbles, as it was once described by a poet, treasures, together with the city’s Historic Center, the most undreamed-of patrimonial values. The host of personalities, legends and sculp-ture pieces of funeral art make the mon-umental and patrimonial character of the Cemetery a necessary condition.

Its 140th anniversary arrived accompa-nied by an intense restoration work that opened with the so-called “first-class ar-ea,” that is, the main streets that, forming a cross, divide the area into four parts and at its center is the octagonal chapel – the only one of its type in Cuba. Some of the pantheons that have recovered their for-

City of Havana’s Cemetery


and comfortable apartments equipped with utensils and acces-sories that will facilitate your stay in the place. Beyond its own attri-butes, Occidental Montehabana is joined to the Occidental Miramar, conferring it other benefits.

In addition to the two city ho-tels there is the Allegro Varadero, ideal for family vacations, reborn with a new image after a remod-eling of its main building. The at-tributes that make it stand out in-clude its location in the middle of a stunning natural vegetation sur-rounded by three different beach areas: an exclusive one that is one-kilometer long, between two rock formations, and two beaches in the areas of the Allegro Ocean Club and Allegro Beach Club, each one with an associated area of swimming pools, which makes the hotel a unique product in Varadero.

Thus, there are multiple rea-sons that will drive you to choose Occidental Hoteles in Cuba, whether you want to vacation with the family, enjoy your hon-eymoon or have a propitious sce-nario for incentive and business groups. ■

triad of installations on the Ca-ribbean island: two in the city, in the western part of Havana, and one in Varadero Beach Resort. The hotels that bear this brand of excellence reveal themselves as points of departure to tour the Cuban capital and connect with one of the most famous beach re-sorts in the world, with possibil-ities of All-Inclusive offers that spare no details when it comes to pleasing its guests.

The Occidental Miramar has the advantage of being located in the most elegant district of the city, where the commercial and diplomatic representations are concentrated, a beautiful view of the sea and the distinction given to it by Fifth Avenue. Ideal for the family, incentive groups, honey-moon and businesspeople seg-ment.

Loyal to the philosophy of the Spanish hotel group that com-bines hospitality, excellence ser-vice and comfort, you can have access to the Occidental Mon-tehabana if you wish to feel the warmth of a home. Designed to receive all type of tourism, espe-cially long stays, it has spacious

If you want to live an Occi-dental experience in Cuba, this Spanish chain invites

you to enjoy the pleasures of its

Occidental Hoteles in CubaBetween the City and the Sea


fashion shows, photo and painting exhibitions, as well as a theoretical meeting about the development of arts and crafts as an exportable po-tential.

Convened by the Cuban Fund for Cultural Goods, for 24 years Havana has been the venue of these events that attract a numerous public. ■

together thousands of persons and international guests, surpassing the 2010 figure.

Gold, silver and costume jewelry, furniture, textiles, clothes, footwear, adornments, lamps, are some of the many products that filled with their colors the PABEXPO fairgrounds. Moreover, the program included

The most important arts and crafts meeting in Cuba, the International Arts and

Crafts Fair, whose 15th edition, FI-ART 2011, took place last December, displayed the artistic work of crafts-people from 15 Latin American, Ca-ribbean, European and Asian coun-tries in 386 stands, and brought

The Most Important Arts and Crafts Event in Cuba

dry, shop, beauty parlor and tourism desk, plus a trade center and facilities for events in multipurpose halls with a maximum ca-pacity for 100 persons, ideal for private re-ceptions, banquets, birthdays, weddings or meetings.

With a high repeat rate among the busi-ness segment clients, the Quinta Avenida Habana Hotel’s principal markets are Spain, Canada, Mexico and France. ■

▶ 5ta Avenida e/ 76 y 80, Miramar,Playa, Havana

▶ Tel.: 53 (07) 214 14 70, ext. 8070, [email protected]@quintavenidahabana.co.cuwww.gaviota-grupo.com

ea – guarantee a varied a la carte or fast food culinary offer, continental breakfast in the room, a broad selection of traditional Cuban and international beverages and cocktails.

Nighttime animation, programs espe-cially designed for honeymooners, courtesy transportation to Old Havana with four dai-ly departures and returns, Internet (Wi Fi available 24 hours), as well as first aid medi-cal services are also available to guests.

Built on 7,362 m2 and on an area covering a total of 45,000 m2, the hotel has a freshwa-ter swimming pool surrounded by a natural environment, gym, SPA, hairdresser, laun-

Just by crossing the threshold of the Quin-ta Avenida Habana Hotel*****, glamour, comfort, serenity and professionalism re-

ceive you on arriving. Located in the select district of Miramar with excellent panoram-ic views of the elegant 5ta Avenida and the Montebarreto Ecological Park, it is 25 min-utes away from José Martí International Air-port and 20 from the capital’s colonial area.

The Quinta Avenida Habana Hotel, of the brand of the Gaviota Tourism Group S.A., has 186 spacious rooms: 178 standard (41 m2) and six suites (92.4 m2), in a six-f loor build-ing, with AC, private bathroom (the suites have an additional one) hairdryer, tele-phone, satellite TV, safety-deposit box, mini bar, balcony or a view to the exterior. Two are completely equipped with facilities for the handicapped.

Two restaurants – El Olivo, featuring buf-fet-style international cuisine, and Don Qui-jote, serving international and Spanish food – and three bars – Daiquiri Lobby Bar open round the clock, Terraza Habana Snack Bar and the snack bar in the swimming pool ar-

Glamour at Quinta Avenida Habana Hotel


Chicago-Cuba Direct Commercial Flights BeginTHE C&T CHARTERS COMPANY began f lights from Chicago, the United States, to Cuba with round trips on Fridays, from O’Hara International Airport, one of the facilities authorized by the Barack Obama administration to provide this service to Cuba. The charter f lights – made by the Sky Kings Airline with Boeing 737-400s with capacity for 150 passengers -, with a direct weekly frequency, will increase to two in January. Up to now, the f lights between the United States and Cuba had been limited to airports of Miami, New York and Los An-geles. ■

New Condor Germany-Puerto Rico Direct FlightTHE NEW ROUTE of the Condor airline links, twice a week, the German city of Frank-furt with San Juan. It is expected that the ser-vice will carry more than 14,000 visitors to Puerto Rico in a year. In recent months three new international airlines have decided to bet on this destination: British Airways, Westjet Airlines and now Condor. ■

JetBlue’s New York-La Romana, Dominican Republic, Direct Flight THE JETBLUE AIRLINE began operat-ing a direct f light on the New York-La Ro-mana route, a unique connection without a stopover. The low-cost U.S. carrier f lies on Wednesdays and Fridays from John F. Kenne-dy Airport to La Romana’s international air-port. JetBlue offers 169 weekly f lights to the Dominican Republic from New York, Bos-ton, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and San Juan (Puerto Rico).■

Mouth of the famous Chavón River, on the outskirts of

the city of La Romana.

Copa Expands Brazil-St. Maarten ConnectionsCOPA AIRLINES increased from two to four its weekly flights to St. Maarten. The service leaves from Sao Paulo through the Panama-nian hub of Tocumen, where the passengers immediately make their connection without going through immigration or customs. ■

N E W A I R C O N N E C T I O N S I N T H E C A R I B B E A N

Sources: www.iberia.com / www.skyscanner.es

Insular Caribbean Destination Airline with direct fl ights

CubaIberiaAir Europa Cubana

Dominican Republic Iberia

Puerto Rico Iberia

Insular Caribbean Destinations with Direct Flights from Spain CTO Forecasts 4-5% Growth in

Arrivals to the Caribbean

THE GENERAL SECRETARY of the Ca-ribbean Tourism Organization, Hugh Ri-ley, affirmed in a Christmas message that the preference and interest for the Carib-bean as a tourist destination continues the same, to the point that despite the im-pact of the instability in oil prices and its consequences on the price of vacations, plus the unfavorable environment of the international crisis, it is expected that the Caribbean will close 2001 with a 4 to 5% growth in tourist arrivals.

The communiqué highlights that ma-ny of the CTO member countries and the hotel sector in the region are explor-ing new markets while working to update and refresh the tourist product, with the aim of providing additional reasons to encourage travelers’ repeat visits.

In terms of income generated by tour-ism, Hugh Riley urged to continue work-ing tirelessly to increase income and maintain profit-making businesses as well as the employment levels. ■

Riviera Maya Reaffi rmed as Best Mexican Destination

The U.S. tourist publication Travel Weekly ranked the Riviera Maya for the eighth time in eight years as the “Best Destination in Mexico.” The Riviera was granted the Travel Weekly Reader’s Choice Award for eight years in a row. The locality was a candidate together with Cancún, Cozumel, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta.

The selection of the winners was made by the readers of Travel Weekly, the

majority of them travel agents from the United States and professionals from the industry who evaluate the tourist des-tinations taking into account the infra-structure and the quality of the servic-es offered, the amenities, as well as the number of travelers that visit them and the comments received by tourists.

This year 59 Travel Weekly awards were given out in different categories

that recognized the best of the world’s tourist industry, including hotel chains, deluxe hotels, tour operators, airlines, car rentals and cruise companies. ■


Mercedes Abreu Mesa, president of Viajes Cubana-

cán. Photo: TTC

ket based on the fact that quality, efficiency in services and the speed of the confirmations, an aspect that is appreciated by Spanish tour-ism to plan their vacation trip, should come first.”

On the occasion of FITUR 2012, the Viajes Cubanacán agency is promoting, as novelties, its offer of renovated Circuitos (Circuits) for the Winter 2011-Summer 2012 season and the Conectando Cuba (Connecting Cuba) prod-uct with more than 10 route combinations throughout the island that allows for creat-ing tailor-made programs from one tip to the other of the country, for tour operators as well as for individual clients who visit the web to purchase these services. Another product that could be attractive is VOY PA’ CUBA (I’m Heading for Cuba), comprising combinations of excursions and transfers in the principal tourist destinations, supporting the premise of “create your journey confident that Viajes Cubanacán will be…AT YOUR SIDE.”

“Despite the international economic cri-sis that has affected the market at the close of 2011, Viajes Cubanacán, present in Cuba’s principal tourist destinations, is witness-ing a recovery in the number of passengers and amount of income. The modality involv-ing the sale of circuits, car rentals and tailor-made programs predominates. We still have two debts with this market: to further focus on the family segment, by developing prod-ucts especially for children based on the safe-ty and the fantasy we can offer; and, secondly, to promote the cruise operations with one or several landings, including ‘mother port’ op-erations for which we have all the land servic-es, using all of Cuba’s marinas and principal ports”, Mercedes Abreu affirmed.

To round off her interview, Abreu con-cluded: “Viajes Cubanacán highlights the role of Cuba’s Tourism Office in Spain which has made it possible with its action to have a great-er identification with the tour operators and attract new accounts that did not sell the Cu-ba market, in addition to promotion actions for the destination in an effort to make known Cuba’s tourist attractions, its safety, and patri-monial, cultural and historic values that com-bine the common roots that identify and unite us.” ■

“The existence of Cubana Airlines in this market, in addition to Iberia and Air Europa with their many frequencies, are an important potential for the issuing of Spanish tourism to the Cuba destination, but the air f leet as com-pared to the potential demand for trips and the development of new products in the ‘free plan’ style preferred by the Spaniards are still not sufficient.

“The prospects for 2012 are encouraging due to the positioning achieved in the mar-

Interview with Mercedes Abreu Me-sa, president of Viajes Cubanacán

The president of Viajes Cubanacán, Mercedes Abreu Mesa, speaks to TTC about the perfor-mance of her agency’s operations with the Span-ish market as well as its perspectives and new products.

To illustrate the principal links of Viajes Cubanacán’s operations with the Spanish market, Mercedes Abreu listed the princi-pal operators with which it works this mar-ket: Travel Plan, Politours Soltour, On Line, FSB, Viajes Altamira, Karla Tours, Excelen-cias, Tierra Dorada, Euskocaribe, Cota 2000 Turisopen, JuliaTours, among others. Those represented by Viajes Cubanacán are Travel Plan and On Line. Politours, Travel Plan and On Line move the largest percentage of tour-ists. Moreover, according to her, “we maintain excellent relations with Cuba’s operator in Spain, Guamá Tours.”

Further on she explained that the most rep-resentative tourist segments in that operation are “the circuit clients and those who prefer to rent a car to get organized as they please”; and that the Spaniards’ preferences include “tour-ing cities with patrimonial, historic and cul-tural values, like Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Camagüey, Trinidad and Varadero and Guar-dalavaca beaches, among other sites included in the principal circuits, which range between 7 and 14 nights.”

Viajes Cubanacán... AT YOUR SIDE

ttc%202012%20no%20207%20(fitur)%20ing

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