ttc-209-ITB-12-web

Bermuda: Tourism Destination of the YearBERMUDA won the 2011 Top Destination of the Year Award at Expedia's market-ing awards, being held in conjunction with the Ca-ribbean Tourism Organi-zation’s (CTO) Council of Ministers. 2

Germany Again Fifth Issuing Market to CubaGERMANY has become stabi-lized as Cuba’s fifth tourist mar-ket since 2004, a position in which it closed 2011 for the eighth year in a row. In 2011 it was preceded, in that order, by Canada, UK, Italy and Spain.Last year, 95,124 Germans visited Cuba, representing 3.5% of the to-tal of arrivals and 2.1% more than in 2010, thus reversing the con-traction of the German emission to the island manifest since 2003, when 157,721 Germans arrived. Even so, Cuba welcomed more than a million German travelers from 2003 to 2011. 2

Tourist Growth in Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo 6New Air Connections in the Caribbean 8

Neckermann Awards Prizes to Four Cuban Hotels 10Dominican Republic Hotel Occupancy Rates Increase 10

in the Caribbean 8

International Tourism to Reach One Billion in 2012THE WORLD Tourism Organization said tour-ist arrivals grew by over 4% in 2011 to 980 mil-lion, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. With growth expected to continue in 2012, at a somewhat slower rate, in-ternational tourist arrivals are on track to reach the milestone one billion mark later this year. 8

FOTOSUB 2012 International Underwater Photography Con-test 9

Tourism Sector: The Largest Contributor to the Economy of Antigua & BarbudaInterview with Mr. P. Hilary Modeste, Director of Tourism –UK & Europe, Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority. 4

Poste italiane Spa - Sped. in Abb. Post. D.L. 353/2003 Conv. in L. 27/02/2004, no. 46 Art. 1 comma 1, DCB Milano - Prezzo per copia EURO 0,25

Year XII • Issue 209 • March 2012 • Regular Edition • www.traveltradecaribbean.com • ISSN 1724 - 5370

International Tourism Publication founded in 1996

2 TRAVEL TRADE CARIBBEAN • YEAR XII • ISSUE 209 • MARCH 2012

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vember there were two emission peaks, equivalent to almost 25% of those who traveled during the year, based on figures of the Na-tional Office of Statistics. ■

IN 2011, German travelers’ prefer-ence for Cuba was ratified between November and April, an elliptical tendency being strengthened in recent years. In March and No-

Germany Again Fifth Issuing Market to Cuba

deluxe five-star resort is one of the best accommodations in the Ca-ribbean on Monarc.ca.

Meanwhile, Meliá Cayo Coco was voted the best hotel in Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo, and Sol Pelícano came out as the best val-ued resort in Cayo Largo del Sur.

Monarc groups together more than 80% of the Canadian on-line agencies, and only the tour-ists who have bought a tourist package in one of them can reflect their comments in that travel fo-rum. Its general director, Fabrice Bozon, affirmed that those prizes reflect the consumer habits of Ca-nadian travelers and distinguish the winning hotels in that coun-try’s tourist market. ■

The Paradisus Río de Oro, Meliá Cayo Coco and Sol Pelí-cano hotels all won Monarc

2011 prizes, awarded according to the opinions of Canadian travel-ers. Canada is the principal tourist market for the Cuba destination and the hotels managed by Meliá Hotels International in the largest archipelago of the Caribbean are this market’s favorite accommo-dations. Last year, 1,002,318 Ca-nadians chose Cuba as their travel destination.

This is the third consecutive award won by Paradisus Río de Oro, which recently won the 2011 Prize, awarded by Thomas Cook-Neckermann, and the Travellers’ Choice 2012 of TripAdvisor. This

Canadian Travelers Prefer Meliá Cuba Hotels

THE AWARD was received by the Tourism Minister Wayne Furbert from Trish Korzeniowski, Market Man-ager of Expedia. Tourism Minister Wayne Furbert ac-cepted the award from Ex-pedia market manager Trish Korzeniowski, who praised Bermuda’s overseas market presence, consistent brand-ing, and “try something new attitude”. ■

Bermuda: Tourism Destination of the Year


AS A NOVELTY, printed editions of

TTC will be available on line. Peo-

ple who read our news from our

webpage and weekly e-bulletin

will have free access to all the in-

formation and ads directly from

their PC, just click on the access in-

structions and you will be able to

navigate through our pages.

This is a new service that easily

approaches more readers to TTC’s

printed versions, dedicated to the

direct distribution to the sector’s

professionals at the world’s most

important tourism fairs.

In 2012 each edition of TTC will

come out in Italian, Spanish and

English, so the readers for whom

we write our information will have

the possibility of reading it in their

preferred language. Thus we are

increasing our potential readers

to close to 50,000 contacts, with

weekly repletion, throughout the

world.

Never before has news from the

Caribbean been so close to read-

ers. Navigate through our pages

and get updates on the most re-

cent Caribbean product and the is-

suing markets to the area.

Cordial greetings,

TTC writing staff

TTC On Line

Antigua’s cruise sector is very much alive and booming. Cruise visitors contribute the largest numbers to Antigua and Barbuda’s overall tourism arrivals figures on an annual basis. The majority of our cruise visitors arrive in the heart of the city, where upon disembark-ing they are immediately within two excellent shopping centres: the modern Heritage Quay which provides duty free shopping or the his-toric Redcliffe Quay, where boutique lovers will find one-of-a-kind items to remind them of their Antigua holiday.

New products and new investments under way...We have new developments such as the new

airport terminal due to open in 2013, that will house several VIP lounges, and the develop-ment of Antigua’s newest luxury resort, Tam-arind Hills, due to open towards the end of 2012, both making Antigua and Barbuda an even stronger contender as one of the Carib-bean destinations of choice.

How is the country seen in the context of Ca-ribbean integration?

We are a member of CARICOM –the eco-nomic integration regime that embraces all the English-speaking nations of the Caribbean, and Antigua is also a member of the Organi-zation of Eastern Caribbean States which is a monetary union that facilitates the sharing of a common currency.

Any other aspect you would like to comment on for the readers of TTC.

Antigua & Barbuda provides the best val-ue for money to the visitor –and offers a great range of accommodations, from the very high end 5 star hotels to good, affordable 3 & 4 star properties to meet the needs of the budget traveler, as well as a number of small boutique hotels, villas and guesthouses that give the vis-itor a selection of accommodation choices. ■

Which are the principal issuing markets, as well as the new emerging markets?

The US is the largest single source market for the island’s tourism with the UK being the second. Other key markets are Italy, Germany, Canada, and the rest of the Caribbean.

Which are the air connections that carry the largest amount of visitors?

Our main gateways are London, New York, Toronto, Milan and Frankfurt.

Could you mention the principal tour opera-tors that market the destination?

In the case of Italy, we do a lot of business with Press Tours. Within the UK we work with a wide range of tour operators including, Virgin Holidays, British Airways Holidays, Thomas Cook, Thomson Holidays and a lot of other tour operators who sell Antigua.

Does cruise tourism operate?

Mr. Hilary Modeste, What importance does the tourist sector have for the country’s economy?

The tourism sector is the largest contribu-tor to the economy of Antigua & Barbuda. It is estimated that it contributes 30% of GDP and 1 out of every 3 jobs is directly or indirectly gen-erated by the sector.

Which are the principal local tourist charac-teristics and destinations?

Antigua and Barbuda are blessed with year round sunshine and 365 of the Caribbean’s best and sandiest beaches. Antigua is known for its rich naval history, and hosts a fantastic sail-ing regatta every April known as The Antigua Sailing Week. The Antigua Sailing Week holds the premier spot on the Caribbean’s Yachting Calendar of Events, and is held in the historic Nelson’s Dockyard, which is named after Brit-ish Naval hero, Admiral Horatio Nelson.

Antigua’s sister island, Barbuda, is one of the Caribbean’s undiscovered gems, and truly reflects the Caribbean as you would imagine it to be. In addition to its 17 mile stretch of pink sand beach, bird-lovers will be surprised to learn that the largest Frigate Bird Sanctuary in the western hemisphere can be found in Bar-buda. Antiguans and Barbudans love to party, and from July-August Antigua Carnival Cel-ebrations are in full swing, giving visitors to the destination the opportunity to witness rev-elers parading the street in colorful costumes and dancing to Caribbean beats meted out on steelpans.

How has the flow of tourists behaved as com-pared to 2010?

Tourism arrivals for 2011 are estimated to grow by 5%.

Interview with Mr. P. Hilary Mo-

deste, Director of Tourism UK &

Europe, Antigua & Barbuda Tour-

ism Authority.

Tourism Sector: The Largest Contributor to the Economy of Antigua & Barbuda

Tourism Sector: The Largest Contributor to the Economy of Antigua & Barbuda


Sports Tourism in Bahamas Could Attract US$100 MillionThe general director of the

Bahamas Ministry of Tour-

ism, David Johnson, said that

the country could attract

US$100 million through sports

tourism.

Johnson underlined that

the government of Bahamas

hopes that this year sports

tourism will contribute some

12.3 million dollars to the na-

tional economy, a figure that

should rise to 100 million dol-

lars in 2014. “Three years ago

we had only one track on

sports tourism, called expen-

ditures. It was not profitable.

The situation changed and in

2011 we collected 10 million

in benefits. For 2014, that seg-

ment should represent 5% of

the total of tourism stays.”

Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo are located in the Jardines del Rey tourist destination, to the north of Ciego de Avila, 450 km east of Havana and four

nautical miles away from one of the world’s most im-portant nautical corridors, the Old Bahamas Channel.

Baptized by Diego Velásquez in 1514 with the name of Jardines del Rey in honor of Ferdinand the Catholic, King of Spain, they were the scenario for Is-lands in the Stream, an important novel by U.S. writ-er Ernest Hemingway, where he describes the place as a “green and promising” site.

The development of these keys began in the late 1980s when the basic infrastructures for tourist op-erations were built. Since the start of tourist opera-tions in 1993 they have welcomed more than 2.5 mil-lion visitors. With an average annual increase of 9%, arrivals have multiplied by 28.

Canada is the principal market, with more than 50% of the average annual overnight stays, coming from Montreal, Toronto, Quebec, Halifax, Ottawa and Hamilton, among others. Out of the Canadians who visit Cuba, more than 17% choose Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo.

Another market with important tourist flows is the United Kingdom. Out of the Britons who visit Cuba, 15% go to this destination and they represent more than 17%, as an annual average, in overnight stays. Argentina is the third market, with an annual growth of 15% in arrivals on direct flights from Bue-nos Aires and its emission volume represents 22% of this country’s market quota.

Traditional markets like Germany, Italy, Spain and France, which do not have direct connections, use the combination modality and arrive through domestic flights using the Aerocaribbean and Aero-gaviota airlines that link Havana and Cayo Coco, means that can also be used for excursions to other destinations in the country and the Caribbean.

The growth of the tourist flows in Jardines del Rey has been associated to the growth of its modern hotel plant, which today comprises 12 hotels –all of them four and five stars and located by the seaside– and

more than 4,000 rooms. Cayo Coco has eight hotels (more than 2,500 rooms) and Cayo Guillermo has four (more than 1,000 rooms). Owned by the Cuban Cubanacán, Gran Caribe and Gaviota hotel chains, prestigious international firms like Meliá, Iberostar and Blau Hoteles participate in their management. In the keys there are more inexpensive accommoda-tions in two hotels owned by the Islazul chain.

Regarding market segments, the number of fami-lies that choose the keys as a vacation destination is on the upswing, as well as the couples who come for wed-dings or honeymoons. On average, 16,000 children arrive every year –around 8% of the arrivals; some 400 weddings are officiated, which are attended by some 4,000 guests; and more than 2,000 honeymoon-ers are seen to, in addition to options only for adults.

Meanwhile, the Acuavida Spa Talassoterapia Cen-ter, located in Cayo Coco’s hotel area, offers quality of life services that range from doctor’s visits to treat-ments.

Forty kilometers of beaches of coralline origin, the area’s most important natural resource and the principal motivation for trips; marine and land eco-systems perfectly conserved; a flora of some 340 bo-tanical species and a fauna of more than 200 bird species, where one of the Caribbean’s most impor-tant colony of pink flamingos live, are some of the natural values of these keys which grant the region very singular landscape values.

Access can be by land, through a 17 km long cause-way that crosses the Perros Bay; by air, using Cayo Coco’s international airport, only 15 and 45 minutes away, respectively, from the Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo hotel areas; and by sea… an international marina about to be finished on Cayo Guillermo.

Jardines del Rey with its Cayo Coco, Cayo Guill-ermo and Cayo Paredón Grande is a sun, beach and nature destination in full expansion. In addition to the keys’ characteristics, they feature safety and tranquility, as well as the connection to terra firma that allows visitors to have contact with Cuban cul-ture, history and its incomparable people. ■

■ Eng. Luis BáezCommercial and communication specialist. Ministry of Tourism delegation in Ciego de Avila province

Tourist Growth in Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo


Jardines del Rey, in Central Cuba, is one of the most attractive destinations for the Argentinean tourists.

To Argentina: Flight time from Rome, Italy to Buenos Aires, Ar-gentina: 14 hours Best time to travel: September-November, March-May

Bahamas: Flight time from Rome, Italy to Nassau, Bahamas: 12 hours Best time to travel: No-vember-April

Barbados (Caribbean) Flight time from Rome, Italy to Christ Church, Barbados (Caribbean): 13 hours Best time to travel: Novem-ber-April

Brazil: Flight time from Rome, Italy to Sao Paulo, Brazil: 11 hours Best time to travel: May-Septem-ber

Mexico: Flight time from Rome, Italy to Cancun, Mexico: 16 hours Best time to travel: Novem-ber-June

This data represents the quick-est achievable flight time between destinations and assumes mini-mal delays between transfers. ■

sive. KLM addressed the matter by stating that they are well aware of the situation and the reason for the high fares is due to the lack of competition on the St. Maarten route.

KLM officials said they under-stand that this makes the situa-tion to promote the destination in Europe more difficult, and added that KLM would be interested in looking into joint promotional opportunities to assist in promot-ing the route.

FLIGHT TIME FROM ITALY TO SEVERAL CARIBBEAN AND SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRIESA travelers guide on Internet

calculate the travel destination ar-rival time to average flight dura-tions from Italy to a selection of international airports Including Caribbean and South American countries.

airline badly. “They were fortu-nate if they had 35 or 45 people on board daily,” said an agent from the company. He said the flight times were unsustainable.

ST. MAARTEN EXPLORES POSSIBILITIES WITH KLMThe Daily Herald reports that

according to tourism officials, Di-rector of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau May-Ling Chun described her recent meeting with KLM Ex-ecutives in Holland as positive.

Chun headed a delegation to Holland recently, which met with several airlines, including KLM. The delegation informed KLM that its fares to St. Maarten are much higher than to most destina-tions in the Caribbean, Suriname and even as far as South as Brazil.

It was also pointed out to KLM that there is now a tendency to fly via the United States to St. Maarten, because it’s less expen-

NEW FLIGHT FROM ARGENTINA TO CUBAWith a second flight from Bue-

nos Aires to the International Airport of Cayo Coco, Argentina ranks as the third largest source of tourists to the destination Jar-dines del Rey in Central Cuba.

The once a week charter flight will last until next April, with great prospects for summer. The aim is to achieve two airliner op-erations throughout the year, tak-ing into account that seven per-cent of the visitors to Jardines del Rey are from Argentina.

AIR JAMAICA IS PULLING OUT OF MIAMIAir Jamaica pulls out of Miami

less than two months after return-ing to that city in Florida. Efforts to book seats from Norman Man-ley International to the Miami In-ternational Airport (MIA), last night proved futile, with availabil-ity up to the 31st of January.

The airline returned to the busy airport on December 9 last year, al-most three years after cutting the route. It is not clear what has forced the hands of the former nation-al carrier so soon after its return. However, in early December its parent company, Caribbean Air-lines, aggressively tried to woo pas-sengers with introductory rates as low as US$79 one-way plus taxes.

But at least one of the major travel agencies on the island con-firmed that the loads were ex-tremely light, and that affected the

N E W A I R C O N N E C T I O N S I N T H E C A R I B B E A N

Legislation on Medical Tourism in PanamaPANAMANIAN legislators and representa-

tives of the tourist sector of Panama an-

nounced they are promoting the approval

of a law for medical tourism in order to at-

tract more hard currency.

Until now, medical or health tourism in

Panama has been an activity practiced for a

long time but there isn’t a regulation or legal

framework duly established to regulate it.

Parliamentarian Hugo Moreno, presi-

dent of the Health Committee of the Na-

tional Assembly of Deputies, met with di-

verse sectors with the aim of elaborating

a draft law. Moreno affirmed that in Pan-

ama there is an opportunity for additional

income for the country through this type of

tourism.

By region, Europe (+6%) was the best perform-er in 2011, while by sub region South-America (+10%) topped the ranking. Contrary to previous years, growth was higher in advanced econo-mies (+5.0%) than in emerging ones (+3.8%), due largely to the strong results in Europe, and the setbacks in the Middle East and North Africa. ■

“INTERNATIONAL tourist arrivals grew by 4.4% in 2011 to a total 980 million, up from 939 million in 2010, in a year characterized by a stalled global economic recovery, major po-litical changes in the Middle East and North Africa and natural disasters in Japan” accord-ing to de UNWTO Tourism Barometer.

International tourism to reach one billion in 2012

9TRAVEL TRADE CARIBBEAN • YEAR XII • ISSUE 209 • MARCH 2012

handing over to the jury members the vying images, the awards ceremony and the closing session.

The categories in competition are: Fish, En-vironment with and without diver, Macros and Macros with theme (the Gobios species). FOTOSUB will award 17 prizes: first, second and third places by category; an absolute prize for the competitor with the highest accumula-tion of points by category (Absolute Champi-on), and to the Best Model. One same contes-tant will be able to win several prizes.

FOTOSUB dates back to 1978, when the first diving incursions were carried out in Punta Francés, until the 1st Underwater Pho-tography Meeting was held in 1983 in El Colo-ny –then declared an International Scuba Div-ing Center.

During these years, the Colony Hotel’s tour-ist product has been upgraded and its markets and agreements with national and foreign tour operators and travel agencies have been ex-panded. ■

[email protected]@cubatur.cyt.cuwww.photosubcuba.com

From May 20 to 24 in Cayo Largo.

The FOTOSUB 2012 International Under-water Photography Contest will be held in Cayo Largo May 20-24. With a com-

petitive character in the Open modality, it has been designed for the selection and presenta-tion of digital photos of underwater flora and fauna taken during the competition days. Cer-tified photographers and models who comply with what is stipulated in the contest’s regula-tions will be able to participate.

Convened by the Marlin S.A. Nautical and Marina Business Group, through the Cubatur Travel Agency and under the advice of the Cu-ban Federation of Underwater Activities, the competition program forecasts the arrival on May 20 of the participants to Cayo Largo, their accreditation, information for the contestants about the regulations of the event and the in-auguration.

From the 21st to the 23rd, the competitors will leave from the Cayo Largo Marina on ves-sels towards the diving points to carry out the professional activities and make two immer-sions, whose first session will be to get famil-iarized and the rest will be for competition. The activities conclude on the 24th with the

FOTOSUB 2012 International Underwater Photography Contest

Third place Environment with diver. FOTOSUB 2009.


Principal Direct Air Connections Between Germany and the CaribbeanAIRLINE CARIBBEAN DESTINATION

Condor Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago

Nassau, Bahamas

Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda

Barbados

Montego Bay, Jamaica

Punta Cana, Santo Domingo,

La Romana and Puerto Plata,

Dominican Republic

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Cancún, México

Saint Lucia

Air Berlin Varadero, Cuba


Puerto Plata and Punta Cana,

Dominican Republic

Cancún, México

Bridgetown, Barbados

Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas

Curaçao

San Juan, Puerto Rico

AIRLINE CARIBBEAN DESTINATION

LTU Cuba


Antigua and Barbuda

Aruba

Dominican Republic

Bahamas

Bermuda

Belice

Guadeloupe

Puerto Rico

Martinique

Haiti

Cayman Islands

Virgin Islands

Trinidad and Tobago

Jamaica

Netherlands Antilles

Condor Varadero, Havana and Holguín,

Cuba

has witnessed the rapid evolution of the island’s tourist industry and the growth of tourist f lows from Germany and other Euro-pean nations to the Caribbean country.” ■

FITUR 2012, in the presence of Cuban Minister of Tourism Man-uel Marrero.

Thomas Cook/Neckermann has been operating in Cuba since 1992 and, according to Junker, “it

weddings, honeymoons, incen-tives and wellness/spa.

Roland Junker, senior prod-uct manager of Thomas Cook & Neckermann, handed over the awards in the Cuba stand during

Cuba’s Iberostar Varadero, Meliá Las Dunas, Playa Pes-quero and Paradisus Rio de

Oro & Spa hotels received the 2011 Primo prizes (among the 10 best hotels) awarded by the German Neckermann tour operator, which forms part of the Thomas Cook travel group, one the largest in the world.

The prizes are awarded to the 100 hotels preferred worldwide by the company’s clients, of which 20 are always long-distance es-tablishments (located in coun-tries more than six hours away by plane).

Iberostar Varadero is a modern five-star hotel with 386 comfort-able rooms and several restaurants in 11 buildings, facing the coast of the most famous Cuban beach. Meanwhile, the 925-room Meliá Las Dunas, in Cayo Santa María, vividly recreates environments for both families and couples.

Located on the northern coast of Holguín, the Playa Pesquero, with 912 rooms, is ideal for chil-dren, couples, friends or families who wish to enjoy the Caribbean’s traditions; and the five-star-plus Paradisus Río de Oro Resort & Spa, with 300 rooms, is designed for adults and is recommended for

Neckermann Awards Prizes to Four Cuban Hotels

Clockwise, Elvira González, Commercial director of Iberostar Caribe; Roland Junker, senior product manager of Thomas Cook

& Neckermann; Gabriel Cánaves, general director of the Cuba Division of Meliá Hotels International; Manuel Marrero, Cuban

minister of tourism; and Yohania Vargas, Sales director of Grupo Gaviota. Photo: TTC.


Main Office: Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones, C. México, 3 -3a planta / 29620 Torremolinos

– Málaga –Spain / Tel.: +34.952.05.13.08 /Fax: +34.952.05.05.81 Email: [email protected]

Cuba Branch: 5ta Avenida Número 6403, entre 64 y 66, Municipio Playa, Havana, Cuba /

Tel.:53.7.204.93.08 / Fax: 53.7.204.93.09 / Email: [email protected]

www.hotelesc.com

Presidente Hotel.

radas hotels offer a wide range of services in the 24-hour All Inclusive, gastronomic di-versity, animation, aquatic sports and shows which our guests enjoy during their stay. ■

Málaga, February 10, 2012Pepa Montiel — Hoteles C

Raytur Caribe, S.A.

te and three tourist resorts in Varadero. We find the emblematic Presidente Hotel in Ha-vana, symbol of elegance and colonial style, by the Malecón seaside drive. Just 20 km from the capital, in Santa María Beach, are the Tropicoco Hotel and the Atlántico-Villa Los Pinos complex. And in Varadero beach resort, the Aguas Azules, Barlovento and Arenas Do-

The Hoteles C hotel company is coming to this edition of ITB 2012 with a tight agen-da of meetings with the principal German

tour operators as well as with agencies of the Belgian, Dutch and Canadian markets. It will present the latest novelties and will close im-portant agreements for 2012 with the purpose of over fulfilling its objectives for this new year. Thus, Hoteles C has ended 2011 by closing its balances with a total income of 10% more than the previous year.

With more than 15 years managing hotels, an extensive experience endorses the compa-ny, which has been consolidating the trust of its collaborators while promoting the desti-nation, to incorporate to its management op-erations seven hotel establishments in Cuba with a total of 1,515 rooms under the Hoteles C brand name.

Its portfolio includes a city hotel in Ha-vana, 25 villas and two hotels in Playas del Es-

Hoteles C at ITB 2012


Dominican Republic Hotel Occupancy Rates IncreaseTHE HOTEL occupancy rates in the

Dominican Republic increased 2.7%

in 2011, with an average of 69.3%.

According to data by the Hotel and

Tourism Association of the Domin-

ican Republic (Asonahores), it is a

question of a consolidated growth

as compared to the previous year,

during which there was only a 0.6%

increase, with a mean 66.6%.

The country received 4,306,431

foreign visitors, 4.4% more than

in 2010, when the figure stood at

4,124,543. Out of the visitors re-

ceived in 2011, 89.1% stayed in ho-

tels. On the other hand, by areas,

the highest occupancy rates were

registered in Punta Cana, which

maintained a 76.3%, followed by

Romana Bayahibe, with 75.3%.

Regarding the nationality of

the visitors, the biggest growth

was among those from the Unit-

ed States, almost 60,000 more

than the previous year for a 4.8%

increase. In general, there was a

considerable increase of visitors

from the American continent, but

in the case of Europe the number

decreased 0.79% - in the case of

Spain it was 9.6%.

JAMAICA’S tourism authorities announced they will promote sports tourism through golf, very attractive for tourists who visit ev-ery year the Caribbean region.

While in 2006 and 2008 Bahía Príncipe Residences & Golf started up two golf proj-ects in Mexico and the Dominican Repub-lic, now it will be Jamaica’s turn, a commu-niqué on the Internet announced.

A hotel, the Gran Bahía Príncipe Jamai-ca, in Runaway Bay, has residential areas, plots of land for promoters and an extensive sports area that will be the foundation for the new project. ■

Jamaica to Promote Golf TourismMORE TOURISTS TO VISIT NICARAGUA IN 2012

THE NICARAGUAN Institute of Tourism (Intur) announced that the country expects tourist arrivals in 2012 will increase by 6.7% as compared to 2011. According to Intur, the local leisure industry will have to attend to 1.1 million tourists this year. The indicator in which the greatest increase is expected will be that of hard currency, and it is estimated that this year 19% more could be collected than last year, surpassing the 460 million dollars in in-come from tourism.

Mario Salinas, Intur executive president, said that for 2012 “it is important to achieve tourists’ satisfaction and standards. That they stay longer, and in that sense we have been im-proving, we went from 5.4 to 8.2 days.” ■

Banao (Sancti Spíritus), Hanabanilla (Santa Clara), La Belén and Limones (Tuabaquey, Ca-magüey), El Turquino and Desembarco (Gran-ma), Baconao and La Gran Piedra (Santiago de Cuba) and Baracoa, with its Yunque and Ale-jandro de Humboldt parks.

This agency constantly generates new prod-uct designs, according to market demands. For 2012 it aims to continue developing the specialized circuits, jeep programs and ex-cursions, expand its sales network to areas of interest for nature tourism; keep updated its website www.ecoturcuba.co.cu and organize and promote TURNAT, to be held in Granma in September 2013. ■

joy nautical offers, horseback riding and have direct contact with nature and the autoch-thonous customs; specialized bird-watching programs, trekking, tourism cycling, scuba diving, game or other types of fishing, tailor-made for each client.

If Ecotur’s portfolio is diverse, also diverse are the markets and segments to which it is di-rected, especially France, Germany, UK, Rus-sia and Canada.

The destinations preferred by clients co-incide with areas with high natural values, the majority of them protected areas: Viñales and Mil Cumbres (Pinar del Río), Ciénaga de Zapata (Matanzas), Topes de Collantes and

Ecotur is a receptive travel agency special-izing in nature tourism. It celebrated its 15th anniversary on August 13, 2011, when

it became sponsored by the Ministry of Tour-ism of Cuba (MINTUR). Its incorporation in-to MINTUR has implied changes in the mis-sion and greater reach of its work, for which, in the domestic sphere, it has strengthened the structure with commercial offices in the tourist destinations to market the product portfolio in the country, in addition to an of-fice in Havana, boosted for mainly sales from abroad.

Its varied catalog comprises jeep safari ex-cursions, in great demand since clients can en-

Ecotur’s New Projections


(Texas), New Orleans (Louisiana),

Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), Tam-

pa, Key West, Palm Beach, Fort

Myers and Fort Lauderdale (Flor-

ida), Atlanta (Georgia) and the

Luis Muñoz Marín Airport in San

Juan (Puerto Rico).

Only the Los Angeles (Califor-

nia), Miami (Florida) and New

York airports were authorized to

operate charter flights to Cuba

before the U.S. government an-

nounced new measures to favor

more relations with the Cubans

on the island.

Florida’s Orlando Airport Authorized to Fly to Cuba

THE ORLANDO Airport, in the

U.S. state of Florida, was autho-

rized by the government to oper-

ate flights to Cuba, although for

the time being “specific plans”

regarding this were not an-

nounced. A communiqué from

the U.S. Customs and Border Pro-

tection Office announced the au-

thorization, according to the Flor-

ida daily The Sentinel.

Phil Brown, executive director

of the Orlando Aviation Authori-

ty, confirmed that “the Orlando

International Airport will now be

able to provide more convenient

access to Cuba for the Florida res-

idents born on the island.” He

added that the terminal will be

able to use the authorization in

the future.

The airports authorized to

operate flights to Cuba are: Chi-

cago O'Hare (Illinois), Baltimore

(Maryland), Dallas/Fort Worth

Alitalia Seeks Merger with Wind Jet Airlines and Blue PanoramaAN ALITALIA provisional agreement was announced for its merger with Wind Jet Airlines and Blue Panorama Airlines, two Italian opera-tors of the domestic and European markets, for which Alitalia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the two companies.

Alitalia pointed out that the planned integration of Blue Panorama and Wind Jet is in line with the “process of continued consolidation” in the national as well as international air transport sector.

The first Italian airline, which last year transported some 25 million passengers, affirms that both companies have “synergic and comple-mentary profiles” in terms of their network and fleet, which could be exploited in an alliance. ■


Tourist Group Develops Colombian CaribbeanTHE URBAN tourist group an-

nounced it plans to turn Co-

lombia into a tourist referent

for the Caribbean, and for this

it is investing 469 million eu-

ros on a project that will in-

clude four hotels, 2,000 dwell-

ings and leisure centers. The

grand complex will be locat-

ed along the stretch that con-

nects Barranquilla to Cartage-

na and will be named Mar de

Indias.

It will be a 10-year proj-

ect, divided into 10 different

construction phases that will

serve to classify and fragment

the building periods.

JAMAICA EXPECTS MORE THAN A MILLION CRUISE TOURISTS

JAMAICAN Minister of Tourism

Wykeham McNeill said that

his country plans to reach the

1.3 million cruise tourists in

2012, higher than the 1.1 mil-

lion in 2011. Around 95% of

the space for outlets is open

in the cruise port of Falmouth,

for the processing of the pas-

sengers.

McNeill added that invest-

ment has continued in sur-

rounding areas and in the

entire town of Trelawny. Ac-

cording to an official press

release, the executive plans

to apply the lessons learned

in Falmouth to improve the

cruise ship operations and

the experience of visitors, in

Ocho Rios as well as in Mon-

tego Bay.

Nickerie.

▶ Since November 2011, visitors from the Netherlands, France, USA, Canada and all UNASUR countries can enter the country on a tourist card. Other coun-tries are soon to follow.

▶ Transition of the Suriname Tourism Foundation from a financially dependent semi-governmental foundation to an independent self-supporting tourism board.

▶ Passing of the Tourism Law by Parliament in the near future

Suriname is seen very well in the context of Caribbean integration.

From January-June 2012, our President heads the CARICOM. Suriname participates in every aspect in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). However, we are a unique Carib-bean country, because we are a green destination, speak Dutch and are not an island, but are lo-cated on the mainland (north coast of South America).

Almost daily direct flights from Schiphol (Amsterdam) to Para-maribo and from Paris to Cayenne (a good starting point to explore the Amazon product and travel further over land to Paramaribo), offer visitors a good perspective for their next long-haul vacation. ■

Suriname Airways (SLM) and Air France / KLM are the air con-nections that carry the largest amount of visitors; and Access Suriname Travel, Anaula Nature Resort, Does Travel & Cadushi

Tours, METS Travel and Tours, Orange Travel, Purity Tours and Services, Waterproof Tours Suri-name, are some of the main in-bound tour operators.

The principal tourism modali-ties the destination operates are: Nature-based tourism, special interested tourism, diaspora and heritage tourism, health tourism, event tourism.

Suriname develops some multi-destination programs together with South American countries, such as:

▶ ACTT: Amazon Conservation Tourism Trail (Suriname, Guy-ana and Brazil)

▶ CATP: Combined Amazon Tourism Product (Suriname, French Guiana and Brazil).

Besides, on a small scale (a few ships per year), cruise tourism is operated and it is included among the new products and new invest-ments under way.

Some aspects on the country’s projections to develop the local tourist industry:

The tourism industry is a major export business and the third largest contributor to foreign

income for Suriname.Our tourism product consists

of a mixture of four tourism pil-lars: nature, culture, heritage and events. Main destinations, just to mention a few, are:

▶ The Capital Paramaribo, with its old wooden inner city, be-ing a UNESCO cultural world heritage site

▶ The Commewijne River with some highlights being: the Fortress of New Amsterdam, old plantations, river dolphin spotting, experiencing the tra-ditional Javanese and Maroon lifestyles.

▶ The Upper Suriname River region with many traditional Maroon villages and beautiful scenery.

▶ Wetland in the coastal areas (bird watching).

▶ Hinterland (with pristine rain-forest) offers remotely located both luxury resorts and ba-sic camping facilities, most of which are only accessible by small airplane and/or dugout canoe.

▶ The Central Suriname Nature Reserve, a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.

Total arrivals for 2012 have not yet been processed. Howev-er, until November 2011 we have received 196,865 visitors. When compared to the same period in 2010, we received 181,856 until No-vember 2010 (thus a +8.25%), one can conclude that the numbers are on the rise.

The Netherlands, Guyana and French Guiana; new emerg-ing ones are: the USA, Caribbean countries, Belgium, France, Ger-many and the UK are the princi-pal issuing markets.

■ Karen TjonManager Marketing & Promotion, Suriname Tourism Foundation

The Tourism Industry is a Major Export Business for Suriname

Documents

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