By Roy Lie A Tjam.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba in The Hague, H.E. Fermin Gabriel Quinõnes Sánchez and Isabel Docampo Torres, chef of the Cuban Tourism Board based in Berlin Germany, recently hosted a Cuba promotional event at La Bodeguita in de in The Hague.
After warmly welcoming the guests, some of them came all the way from the Northern region of the country. Also present was Cuban diplomat Michael González Castro, who is en route to Jakarta, his new assignment who was on a 24 h stopover. The Ambassador passed the microphone on to Isabel Docampo Torres who had good tidings; Cuban tourism is doing faring well. Here follows an extract from what she had to relate.
”I warmly welcome tour operators, travel agencies, airlines, press and other guests.
We are honored to have you here, we would like to express our gratitude to the officials who have made this occasion possible.
We have worked together to increase the number of visitors to Cuba by means of our campaign Auténtica Cuba, in which we showcase our attractiveness, values, natural wealth as well as cultural wealth.”
Cuba’s condition as an island and its geographical location has rewarded her with beautiful beaches and landscapes. Other strengths such as a warm and hospitable population, quality hotels with a staff offering professional and kind treatment to guests, all have contributed to make Cuba one of the most attractive tourist destinations of insular Caribbean.
By the end of September 2015, nearly 2.6 million individuals had visited Cuba. This is 17.9% more than the previous year and it is expected that the number will reach 3.5 million by the end of this year. The Dutch market has contributed 30,223 visitors, which represent an increase of 23% compared to last year. It is expected that the number will surpass the 36,000 visitors by the end of 2015.
It has been observed that after the reestablishment of the diplomatic ties between Cuba and the United States, there has been an increase in the demands to travel, to make contact and investment. A growing number of businesspeople from many countries, including U.S.A visit Cuba in order to learn about the development of the Cuban tourism industry.
However, it is essential to underline, the U.S. embargo against Cuba remains! Cuba is still the only country to where U.S. citizens cannot travel to.
