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Cuba Want To Be Tourism Big Player

By RomanticHeart | April 26, 2009

Cuba has announced that it seriously wants to improve the number of visitors to the country over the coming years. It has been increasingly thought of as a viable tourist destination over the past years but wants to regain the European visitors who have been in decline recently. There was a jump in tourist levels last year from 2.15 million to 2.25million people, which likely came about through better financial investment in tourist areas. Cuba has also worked hard on its foreign diplomacy in recent years in attempts dispel outdated, potentially harmful impressions of the country that may put people off visiting on Cuba holidays

Maria Elana Lopez Reyes, the Deputy Tourism Minister has outlines that continuing to increase visitor numbers is a priority. One new initiative that is being actioned is the addition of around 3000 extra rooms in Cuban hotels. More tourists are hoped to visit the country if a better range of accommodation and higher quality facilities can be offered to them. There has been development also in the luxury holidays market, as Cuba attempts to pull in holiday with more expensive tastes. Miss Lopez Reyes has also said that hopes lie partly in the new White House administration relaxing the current restriction on American Citizens traveling to Cuba. Although around 45,000 Americans do make the trip to Cuba each year, it is likely this figure would increase dramatically if they felt they could travel comfortably within the law.

The first ever International Culinary Festival of the Caribbean is also set to hosted in Cuba this year. This is an event that invites 25 experts from different countries around the region to come and share recipes and experiences about food. The festival also aims to reinforce the importance of local and traditional dishes in strengthening cultural identity. The Cuban tourist board has said they are very happy to have been given the honour of hosting the event and hope that it attracts a diverse range of food enthusiasts and holiday makers to the area of Santiago De Cuba where it will be hosted in September.