Cayo Coco, Cuba. Despite the tightening of the economic blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba, the “locomotive of the largest island in the Antilles will continue to move forward,” providing better services and access to its natural and cultural attractions, said Juan Carlos García, Minister of Tourism. of Cuba, at the inauguration of the 42nd International Tourism Fair (FitCuba) 2024, which brings together the main hotel and service leaders in the region.
Gathered at the Gran Marena Cayo Coco Hotel, he assured that Mexico is one of the main sources of tourists for the island, “and we want it to be among the first five places, because not only do we have a cultural affinity, we are not competition, we complement each other. , and what we want is for visitors from origins as far away as China or Turkey, to cite an example, to visit more than one country in our region and get to know our cultural diversity.”
At the event, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba, Manuel Marreno Cruz, emphasized that “it will be a meeting to outline new strategies and joint businesses in a region that is recovering visitors.”
However, he emphasized that Cuba faces this process in unique conditions, “not only because of the economic blockade imposed by ascendant States, but also because it is accompanied by a subversive policy aimed at destroying our revolution, which makes recovery and development difficult.”
He recalled that “we are the only country in the world that is prohibited from visiting as a tourist, in an application of extraterritorial policy, which adds to the 300 thousand electronic visas canceled for European citizens by visit Cuba.”
Despite these difficulties, which include, he stressed, the suspension of all negotiations with an Argentine company that supplied turbofans to the Cubana de Aviación fleet, “we continue to support tourism, because we know that it is the one that can contribute the most to recovery.” of our economy.”
Juan Carlos García indicated that in order to encourage the arrival of more visitors, new attractions will be inaugurated in Jardines del Rey, and starting May 4 there will be an electronic visa to visit the island, which will be more accessible to visitors. , since it can be obtained from any electronic device connected to the Internet.
The meeting, which will conclude on May 5, brought together tourism ministers from various countries, as well as the regional representative of UN Tourism, Gustavo Santos, who trusted that the recovery of the sector in the region will exceed the number of visitors reached in 2019, “this same year, even exceeding goals established before the pandemic.”
He emphasized that although Latin America’s recovery is accelerated, the process has been uneven, although “we believe that there are conditions for the entire region to advance in the sector.”
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– 2024-05-04 05:29:01
