British cruise ship Thomson Dream to dock in Cuba

A British-owned cruise ship is due to sail into the Cuban capital, Havana, on Wednesday, the first in years to dock in the Communist-run island.

The arrival of the Thomson Dream in Cuba is seen as a sign that European cruise companies are starting to return to the island.

Visits from European cruise ships dwindled after the then-president Fidel Castro criticised the business for leaving "rubbish, but little income".

The ship can carry 1,500 passengers.

The BBC's Michael Voss in Havana says the Thomson Dream will be by far the largest cruise ship to have sailed to Cuba in almost six years.

None of the many cruise companies based in Miami, Florida, can make the trip due to the decades-old US trade embargo which severely restricts trade with the island.

Our correspondent says Spanish- and Norwegian-owned cruise ships were the first to return to Cuba over the past few months.

In an interview with a Cuban magazine in December, a Cuban Ministry of Tourism official said Canada and Russia would also send cruise ships to the island.

The official said negotiations were also under way with Canadian cruise companies for their ships to dock there during the next winter season.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Cuban International Tourism Fair Opens in Havana

Cuban Vice Minister of Tourism María Elena López welcomed travel agents and tourism businesspersons and experts to the 30th International Tourism Fair —FitCuba 2010—, which opened Tuesday in Havana.

Cuba boasts a sustainable tourism industry in a safe and peaceful environment with fantastic natural surroundings, culture and traditions, and hospitality second to none.

María Elena López told participants that over the last 30 years one of the major focuses of the island’s tourism industry has been environmental conservation to promote green tourism in the context of the world’s ecological crisis.

FitCuba 2010 is dedicated to Russia and to promoting tourism in the eastern region of the country.

Cuban Vice President Esteban Lazo Hernández, Vice President of the Russian National Tourism Agency Alexander Vasilevich Radkov, Cuban Minister of Tourism Manuel Marrero and Russian Ambassador to Cuba Mijaíl Kaminin were also present at the inauguration of the fair.

http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/

Varadero Receives its 1 Millionth Visitor of 2009

VARADERO, Matanzas.— Varadero, the sun and beach capital of Cuba, reaffirmed its status as one of the world’s premier beach resorts receiving its 1 millionth visitor on December 30 to close out the year.


This is the second consecutive year that Varadero has recorded 1 million visits and a celebration will be held at the Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport in Varadero on Wednesday.


In the 1950s, Varadero was a modest resort with some 15 hotels, several guest houses, and a few nightspots and casinos. During the first few months following the 1959 triumph of the Cuban Revolution, the new administration began to embark on a vigorous project of building social works in the area such as the Parque de las 8 000 Taquillas, and several residential neighborhoods and fishermen neighborhoods.


In 1976, Varadero became a municipality and in the 1980s the first tourist hotels built by the revolutionary government were inaugurated: the Atabey and the Siboney. In the 1990s the resort underwent a major expansion and continues to grow.
Currently Varadero offers a total of 48 hotels and a wide array of restaurants, cafeterias, marinas, shops and stores; an airport; a golf course; a dolphin aquarium; and a hotel and tourism school.


Some 40 percent of tourists who visit Cuba stay at Varadero known as the blue beach resort. More than 86 percent of hotel rooms are of 4 and 5 Stars, which, together with more than 20 kilometers of some of the worlds best beach, have made this one of the most popular beach destinations in the Caribbean.



http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/