Country promoted as more than beaches

Cuban tourism minister Juan Carlos Garcia Granda wants the world’s tourists to be aware that Mother Nature has been kind to his homeland. 

Garcia Granda told delegates to Cuban tourism show FitCuba that Cuba is eager to broaden its tourism base, which is currently largely sunseekers wanting to vacation by the country’s many beaches.

“We’re working on activities other than sun and beach,” he said during a May 2 talk in Havana.

Garcia Granda — who wants to see more vacationers visit less-visited parts of the island — cited nature and culture as two sides to the country that could be used to attract more visitors. 

Cuban culture was underscored by numerous demonstrations of Cuban dancing and music at the May 1 opening ceremony of the show, held at a massive hilltop fort built by the Spanish centuries ago. 

Garcia Granda used that ceremony to praise his country’s “vibrant culture” and labelled Havana a “marvellous city.”

FitCuba also featured tour companies offering ecotourism experiences on the Caribbean’s largest island, which Christopher Columbus reportedly called “the most beautiful land that human eyes have ever seen.”

The country’s Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz also told those on hand for the opening ceremony that tourists can easily visit and explore Cuba now.

“Cuba is open to the world,” Marrero Cruz declared.

Cuba has this year surpassed the 500,000-visitor mark from Canada — currently Cuba’s largest market — although Garcia Granda acknowledged during his May 2 talk that overall visitations haven’t yet reached their 2019 pace.

The government is working to reach 2019 numbers next winter, he continued. 

He said the tourism ministry is working in part to boost visitor numbers in part by developing more activities for young people.

Garcia Granda conceded Cuba is now having to cope with “challenges” to its economy but added it is working to resolve them.

Cuban authorities are looking at holding an October summit that would bring representatives of Canadian tour operators and airlines to discuss tourism issues.

The show drew a large Canadian contingent, which included Sanjay Kopalkar of Canada Jetlines, which is considering a Cuba program. 

“A lot of people would love to explore [Havana],” he said. “Havana’s got a lot of culture.”

Meanwhile, next year’s show will be held in Jardines del Rey, a collection of islands off Cuba’s north coast, many of which have been developed for tourism. Garcia Granda said the venue will enable show participants to see new hotels and water sports options.

In the photos:

• Melia Hotels was well represented at FitCuba, with Gabriel Escarrer (left) — who heads the company — and Marti Aragones (right), who oversees Melia Cuba’s Canadian operation — seen here with Eric Rodriguez of Sunwing.
• Looking spiffy in hats given to FitCuba attendees were tourism minister Juan Carlos Garcia Granda and tour guides Raudel Machado and Vladimir Galloso.
• Frank Pais Oltuski, head of Gaviota and a prominent figure in Cuban tourism, is seen here with Ingrids Rodriguez  of the Ministry of Tourism.
• Sunwing’s Eric Rodriguez at FitCuba 2023 with a couple of his Cuban counterparts.
• No visit to Havana is complete without a visit to the famed Bodeguita del Medio!
• Toronto travel personality Steve Gillick and local tour guide Betsy Olivares are seen here at the storied Hotel Nacional de Cuba.