CubaPLUS Magazine

Cuba is working to offer better quality services for tourism in the face of the next season that begins in November, with the objective of achieving growth in the number of visitors and, therefore, contributing to the development of the sector in the country.

That is the conclusion of the statements offered exclusively to this magazine by the Vice Minister of Tourism of Cuba, Yamily Aldama, at the end of the 14th Varadero Gourmet International Festival, which took place for three days at the Plaza América Convention Center, in the Matanzas resort.

“We continue working with emerging markets and with traditional markets that normally come to our country. We are promoting everything related to Cuban culture, not only the west but also eastern Cuba,” she said. “Now,” he continued, “we have the Turnat (International Nature Tourism Event) coming up soon, in eastern Cuba, and I think that all of this will also lead to the interest of the international markets in other areas of the country that are developing very positively everything related to culinary culture and everything that has to do with the east, which is something authentic, it is unique, just like our campaign.”

In answering a question about the Canadian market, the main source of tourists to this destination, he said that “we continue to work with the Canadian market to achieve growth. We know there have been some dissatisfactions, but they can be sure, and we are doing so in the exchanges with the tour operators, that Cuba guarantees the quality of services, that we are working to ensure all the standards they demand are met. Here we work to satisfy them.”

Regarding the recently concluded festival, Aldama considered it successful and said that “it has been a show of the interest that tourism workers have for continuous improvement and for recovering the traditions of Cuban cuisine.” “In addition, the motivation, the joy that has been perceived from the first day, in their presentations, in their moments of competition and receiving their awards and that the 7 groups of the Ministry of Tourism and other entities of the sector present, I think that it is a high recognition and, in addition, the demonstration that everyone is already inserted in this process of searching for the best of Cuban cuisine,” he considered.

The 14th Varadero Gourmet International Festival took place during three days of intense work sessions, in which conferences, exchanges of criteria, presentation of products, pairings and culinary and cocktail competitions took place, with the presence of 78 exhibitors, 176 delegates and other professionals of the sector from nine countries.