Cuba urged to diversify tourism offerings
Cuba has opened the 2014 International Tourism Fair in Havana looking to attract more investment in the tourism sector.
Opened by Cuban tourism minister Manuel Marrero and general secretary of the World Tourism Organization Taleb Rifa, the aim is to highlight a new foreign investment law which offers tax breaks and more flexible labor practices.
Citing the longstanding US embargo, Rifa said tourism should not be influenced by politics and called for direct New York-Havana flights to give the industry a much needed boost.
Tourism minister Manuel Marrero said the country should also diversify its tourism product to better promote its nine World Cultural Heritage sites, museums and national monuments.
The fair continues until May 10, with a program of seminars, business meetings and cultural events.
This year the fair is showcasing Havana as "the country’s most complete" destination with a focus on MICE and health tourism, and promoting it as a cruise ship destination.
Tourism income reached $1.8 billion in 2013 according to government data, with a forecast for up to three million visitor arrivals this year.
Canada remains the number one overseas market, and despite the five-decade long US embargo still firmly in place, almost 600,000 US travelers visited Cuba last year.
International arrivals rose 5% in the first quarter of 2014 compared to the same period last year.
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