MIAMI, United States – The Cuban Embassy in India and Meliá Hotels International held an interactive session this Thursday in New Delhi that gathered more than 40 representatives from various spheres of the tourism sector, including travel agents, airlines, and media.
According to the report from Travel Trade Journal, the event featured the participation of the acting Business Manager of the regime in India, Abel Aballe Despaigne, who presented the “characteristics” of Cuba as a tourist destination.
During the event, the promotional campaign “Unique Cuba” was launched, aimed at capturing the interest of Indian travelers and businessmen. Additionally, details were discussed about the upcoming International Tourism Fair FITCUBA 2024, scheduled to take place from May 1 to May 5.
Tonia Sehan, head of Sales in India for Meliá Hotels International, took the opportunity to highlight Meliá’s properties in Cuba and emphasized that the chain operates more than 30 properties on the island.
This meeting is part of a series of ongoing efforts by Cuba to attract tourists from the Indian subcontinent, including its participation in the OTM 2024 Travel Fair in February, where Cuba received the award of “Most Promising New Destination.”
In January of this year, it was revealed that the regime on the Island expected to welcome three million tourists in 2024, according to statements made by the Cuban Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda, at the International Tourism Fair held in Madrid, Spain.
During his participation in FITUR, García Granda reported that Cuba had closed the year 2023 with 2.4 million visitors and noted that the aspiration to exceed three million was still below the levels of travelers recorded in 2018, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the minister, quoted by EFE agency, one of the main obstacles to the recovery of tourism was the decision by the United States, effective starting January 12, 2021, which prevents Europeans who visit Cuba from opting for the visa waiver program known as ESTA.
However, the official did not mention the economic crisis, health issues, and insecurity experienced in Cuba, which are decisive factors for many foreigners not to visit the Island.
To counteract the decrease in the flow of European tourists, the Cuban government is exploring other markets, such as the Russian, Turkish, Chinese, and Latin American markets, said García Granda.
In the last year, several economists have warned that the food, health, and fuel crisis that the Island is experiencing would make it almost impossible for tourism to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
“The very complex situation of the economy affects tourism because, for example, a tourist needs to rent a car to move around the country and there is no fuel, or sometimes a five-star hotel does not have the necessary supplies,” stated Cuban professor Omar Everleny to the EFE agency.
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