Cuba Suits Spanish Travel Agents, Officials
Presidents of several Spanish hotel chains and ministers from two Latin American counties attended on Friday the meeting organized by the Cuban delegation to Madrid’s International Tourism Fair (FITUR-2009).
Cuban Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero was the meeting’s host. He is participating in Madrid’s annual exhibition, one of the most important in the world, attended this year by 11,137 companies from 70 countries.
Sol Melia, Iberostar, Hotreles C, Hoteur, Roc Hoteles, Sirenes Hoteles, Occidental Hoteles hotel chains’ Presidents Gabriel Escarrer, Miguel Fluxa, Fernando Purche, Erick Moguer, Guillermo Miralles, Abel Matutes, and Ventura Serra, respectively, participated in the meeting.
Nicaraguan and bolivian Tourism Ministers Mario Salinas and Ricardo Cox, respectively, new director of the World tourism Organization for the Americas Carlos Vogeler and Cuban Ambassador to Spain Alberto Velazco also participated in the meeting.
After greeting the participants, Marrero thanked the support by Spanish businesspeople for progress of the sector in Cuba, which has recovered quickly from the damage caused by hurricanes that affected the island in 2008.
However, those natural disasters, the Caribbean country beat all historic records, regarding tourist reception, with 2,349,000 international visitors, the equivalent to a 9.1-percent growth, he explained.
The minister held that there are many reasons to say this year will be a positive year for Cuba, because it is being supported by airlines, as Iberia, Air Europe and Air Comet, as well as Cubana de Aviacion, which will celebrate its 80th anniversary in 2009.
“We will have the necessary air communication and more promotion in the Spanish market, and joint actions to elaborate attractive offers,” Mr. Marrero asserted. “This will be a greater year, with new investments in Cuban tourism and formation of new companies, and all this will bring about the increase of the Spanish participation in developing the sector in Cuba,” he concluded.
