Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Havana, September 29. - At the Buenos Aires International Tourism Fair, FIT 2025, Cuba seeks to strengthen relations with its trading partners, which are currently betting on the island as an ideal tourist destination for vacationers.
This was stated to Prensa Latina by Pilar Álvarez, Marketing Director of the island's Ministry of Tourism, who is leading a delegation of 10 tourism executives who traveled specifically to the Argentine capital to work at this important event, which brings together more than 1,700 exhibitors from the host country and 51 other nations.
At the Fair, which runs from September 27 to 30, "we are showcasing our tourism offerings to Argentines, so they can enjoy our unique values ??and, above all, the wonderful beaches that are distinguished from others in the Caribbean by their fine, weed-free sand," Álvarez stated.
Cuban destinations – she continued – allow families to enjoy a happy stay along with a variety of activities and excursions available at each selected site.
“Cuba has sustainable, inclusive, and accessible tourism that attracts visitors from different regions and encourages repeat visits. A significant number of national travel agencies and hotel chains are at the fair ready to promote all their tourism offers,” the executive noted.
Recently, the island was once again recognized as the Best Cultural Destination in the Caribbean, “which calls us to continue showcasing our most important and unique values in the region, as it offers a wide range of possibilities and tourism offerings,” Álvarez said.
“As with the global tourism industry, the sector has experienced ups and downs and is currently undergoing a process of transformation and recovery with continuous interaction with our partners,” she explained.
Global phenomena like the pandemic and particular challenges such as the impact of aggression by the United States government aimed at destabilizing and dominating Cuba’s economy have resulted in a decline in travelers, she explained.
During this period – she pointed out – more than 243 punitive measures were intensified against Cuba and its people without distinction; most affect tourism, including costly misinformation campaigns to discredit the destination and discourage travel, and the removal of the U.S. ESTA electronic visa for travelers coming to Cuba from more than 40 countries.
Likewise, Washington falsely suspended U.S. cruise activity, the country's second main access route and one of the leading routes for this activity in the Caribbean.
In the face of this aggression – stated the Marketing Director – “there is now great resilience and adaptability in our sector, and with the changes introduced, we have been able to achieve new results that encourage and strengthen our confidence and that of our counterparts.”
Álvarez explained that the island's nature is diverse and surprising, with a wide variety of ecosystems, unique flora and fauna, and a high level of endemism. Twenty-two percent of its geography has been declared protected areas; it has 14 national parks, six biosphere reserves, and an equal number of Ramsar sites, ideal for nature tourism.
Cuba has nine sites designated as World Heritage, 277 national monuments, four intangible cultural heritages of humanity, and 17 manifestations of the nation’s cultural heritage. All this confirms the island’s rich cultural heritage, she illustrated.
And all of this stems from a common origin, a combination of indigenous, African, European, and Caribbean influences, which has given rise to a magnificent blend of traditions, architecture, music, dance, art, and gastronomy. "All of this enriches the Cuban destiny and makes Cuba unique," the executive stated. (Text and photo: PL)
