Juan A. Llanes Calaña, Business Manager for Paradiso Travel Agency
Juan A. Llanes Calaña, Business Manager for Paradiso Travel Agency
Paradiso, a travel agency specialized in cultural travel, plays a role in bringing tourists to Cuba. Within the framework of the 33rd International Tourism Fair (FITCuba 2013) Caribbean News Digital sat down with the agency’s business manager Juan A. Llanes Calaña, who spells out what Paradiso has to offer in this exclusive interview.
What’s the main activity that Paradiso does as a travel agency?
We’ve always had the intention of turning Paradiso into the leading source of cultural tourism to Cuba, since there are other companies that work on this major segment for the island nation’s heritage. What actually singles out Paradiso is its customizable approach to cultural events and functions. This is something that only Paradiso does with Artex, an institution attached to Cuba’s Ministry of Culture.
We also sell travel packages for teaching events at the University of Arts and other artistic teaching centers, in addition to providing all-out courses, master degrees, post-graduation courses and crash courses in such fields as dancing, fine arts or the performing arts, just to name a few.
What are the most demanded products?
The Havana Biennial, which is a fine arts events that embraces the entire city and is a reason for artists and the general public to travel here. We also have the Book Fair and the cinema and jazz festivals, plus the Fiesta del Fuego in Santiago de Cuba and the Mayflower Festival in Holguin.
We have programs cut out for travelers interested in dancing, history and heritage, and they all lead to stays in different cities with specialized guides that could be either architects or professors.
Do you have a particular preference for events targeting specific markets?
Due to the geographical proximity, the idiosyncrasy and the knowledge of our culture, our lion’s share of visitors coming to events come from Latin America and the U.S. In the case of Europe, the leading markets there are Spain, Portugal and France. As to the Dance in Cuba events, there’s a tremendous demand out of Germany and Russia, as well as from Venezuela and Mexico.
What’s Paradiso’s contribution to the cultural entrepreneurial system?
Today culture is self-sufficient in terms of funds and Paradiso is key player in that program, specifically with the purchase of musical instruments for art schools or for funneling funds into, say, theaters. In the course of three years we have doubled our revenue and the total number of visitors coming to Cuba. That’s owed in part to what Paradiso does as a travel agency.
What future projects do you have in store?
We want to buttress our products and become the leading company in the field of cultural tourism. We also want to reach out to quasi-untapped markets, such as Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.
