TTC WTM 2014

The Dominican Council of Ministers approved the draft State General Budget for 2015, which envisages an increase of economic resources for the Ministry of Tourism (MITUR). 12

Dominican Government Approves More Resources for Tourism

A numerous representation of Cuban en-tities and their trade partners will be pres-ent, as usual, at WTM 2014, at stand CA140. Its principal expectations are presenting the new products of the Cuba Destination as well as promoting the cultural, incentive and quality of life programs; events, golf tournaments and the diving modality. 4

Cuba at WTM 2014STAND CA 140

The importance of building new partnership models for the sustainable development of cultural tourism gained particular relevance at the 99th session of the UNWTO Executive Council meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan (1-4 October 2014). The Council also debated the latest international tourism trends and their impact on the Programme of Work of the Or-ganization. 2

UNWTO Executive Council Discusses Links Between Tourism and Culture

17New Air

Connections in the Caribbean

14TTC Gets Ready for

FITCuba 2015, with Italy as Guest Country

8Cultural Journey through Jamaica

6Non-State Sector

Integrates with Cuban Tourist Offer

SEvEN WONDERS CiTiES Of ThE WORLD SOON TO BE REvEALED. Fourteen cities are opting to be included among the Seven Wonders Cities of the World, according to the vote of millions of netsurfers in the New7Wonders Cities contest, now in its last stage, to be concluded next December 7. Among the finalists, from the Caribbean, is Havana (Cuba), and London, capital of the United Kingdom. 4

havana is among the Caribbean finalists.

International tourist arrivals registered a 4.6% increase in the first half of 2014; they especially went up by 5% in the Caribbean, according to UNWTO reports. Destinations throughout the world received around 517 million international tourists between January and June 2014, 22 mil-lion more than the same period in 2013. 2

international Tourism Rises 5%

International Tourism Publication founded in 1996Year XIV • No. 232 • November 2014

Regular Edition • ISSN 1724-5370

www.traveltradecaribbean.com

# 232

TTC Travel Trade Caribbean srl Via Balbo, 1 Chieri. Torino, Italia

Tel. +39 3938196638

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Web www.traveltradecaribbean.com

Honorary President Renzo Druetto

Principal Director Giuseppe Ferraris

General Director Alfredo Rodríguez [email protected]

Editorial Director Italy Roberto Barbieri [email protected]

Editorial Staff Cuba Josefina Pichardo [email protected]

Francisco Forteza [email protected]

Editorial Staff Dominican Republic Francesco Pandolfo [email protected]

Marketing Italy Paola Germano [email protected]

Marketing Cuba Guadalupe Pérez [email protected]

Marketing Dominican Republic Flavia Anelli [email protected]

Graphic Design Andro Liuben Pérez Diz [email protected]

Online Marketing Manager Hairo Rodríguez [email protected]

Webmaster Jesus Rodríguez Jr. [email protected]

Website Narmys Cándano [email protected]

Collaboration Ana Cecilia Herrera [email protected]

Dagmara Blanco [email protected]

Ernesto L. Rodríguez [email protected]

Magdalena García [email protected]

María E. Leyva [email protected]

Mirta Valdés [email protected]

Mercedes Guillot

Print Micrograf S.r.l.

TTC Travel Trade Caribbean srl Registered at the Milan Court, number 166, 13/03/2002. Registered at the Chamber of Commerce: 08/01/2001. Registered in ROC Italia.

tary-General, Taleb Rifai, highlighted the pos-itive results of international tourism in recent years and underlined some of the challenges facing the sector. “Despite geopolitical and economic challenges, the number of interna-tional tourist arrivals has grown by 5% a year on average since 2010, a trend that has trans-lated into more economic growth, more ex-ports and more jobs” he said in opening the Council. “Yet, as we welcome milestones and look forward to the continued expansion of our sector, it only underlines the need for us to strengthen our Organization in raising tour-ism´s prominence to ensure its sustainable growth and its positive benefits for all peo-ple,” Mr. Rifai added.

The 100th Session of the Executive Council will take place in Croatia. Jamaica, Mozambique and Croatia will act respectively as Chair, First and Second Vice-Chairs of the Executive Coun-cil for the year 2015.

Source: UNWTO Press Release

Continued from page 1—The UNWTO Executive Council stressed the need to promote new gov-ernance models to foster closer cooperation be-tween tourism and culture in order to advance the sustainable development of cultural tour-ism. Other issues raised during the thematic discussion on tourism and culture included con-gestion management, financing, public-private sector cooperation, the role of local communi-ties in tourism development and cultural pres-ervation, as well as the promotion of events, creative industries and contemporary culture and history in enriching the visitor experience.

The debate took place against the backdrop of the forthcoming UNWTO/UNESCO World Con-ference on Tourism and Culture, Building a New Partnership (Siem Reap, Cambodia, 4-5 Febru-ary 2015), which will bring together, for the first time, Ministers of Tourism and Culture from around the world.

Assessing the latest international tour-ism trends and challenges, UNWTO Secre-

UNWTO Executive Council Discusses Links Between Tourism and Culture

Continued from page 1—The UNWTO Word Tourism Barometer said that the largest growth was regis-tered in the Americas (+6%), followed by Asia and the Pacific and Europe (+5% in both cases).

“Certainly, despite the geopolitical and economic challenges, the number of international tour-ists has gone up an average of 5% a year since 2010, a trend that has translated into more economic growth, more exports and more jobs,” affirmed UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai.

To date, the results are in keeping with the forecast issued by the UNWTO in early 2014. For the en-tire year it is expected that international tourist arrivals will increase between 4% and 4.5% through-out the world, thus exceeding the long-term forecast of the UNWTO that anticipated an annual 3.8% growth for 2010-2020.

The four subregions of the Americas grew: North America (boosted by Mexico) and Central and South America registered increases of 6% and the Caribbean 5%.

In terms of issuing markets, the data for this period show the consolidation of the spending on trips abroad registered in 2013 in some advanced economies. The Italian and Australian markets’ spending abroad increased by 8% and 7%, respectively, while the U.S. market grew 5%. Those of France and Canada indicate a 3% increase.

The demand generated by the emerging markets also continues being strong, although slowing down if compared to 2013. The Chinese issuing market grew 16% in the first half of the year, as com-pared to 26% for the whole of 2013, while the spending for the issuing market of the Russian Federa-tion increased 4% as compared to the 25% registered last year.

international Tourism Rises 5%

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As an example he cited the case of Cancún, where the destruction of the mangroves “has cost them many millions of dollars in infra-structure works for reparation of the environment, when they had a natural infrastructure that consist-ed of mangroves.”

This regional governance sys-tem, created by virtue of the Re-gional Seas Program, is the only legal framework in the world to face the protection of the marine environment on a regional level, and is fundamental to reverse the rapid increase of the oceans’ deg-radation.

the majority of the sectors, which is why the solution must be col-lective.

During the presentation of the report “Importance of mangroves: a call to action,” he indicated that in the face of environmental threats all the nations must work by coordinating policies and reg-ulations.

are increasingly more present by eliminating the natural resources and especially the mangroves.

Andrade considered a success that in recent years the region’s States have developed laws and protocols for the protection of the environment and the ma-rine ecosystems, aware that it is a problem that affects everyone,

During the 16th Global Meeting of the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans, held in Athens, the coordinator for the Caribbe-an of the United Nations Environ-ment Program (UNEP), Nelson An-drade, highlighted the advances made in recent years regarding environmental legislations by the countries of the region.

The principal challenge for the conservation of mangroves, ac-cording to Andrade, is the ten-dency of all the small Caribbean states to transform the coasts into hotels, although the cost and the implications of natural disasters

Protection of Environment a Challenge for Caribbean

Barcelona, Spain.

This competition is organized by the Swiss foundation New7Wonders, an institution that implemented an online voting system through www.new7wonders.com (in addition to SMS). It began in 2012 with more than 1,200 nomi-nations of approximately 220 countries; the classification started being concentrated and currently is in its last stage with 14 official fi-nalists.

Together with the public’s votes, also im-portant are the opinions of a panel of experts of that foundation, presided over by Federico Mayor Zaragoza, who for many years was the director of the United Nations Educational, Sci-entific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Continued from page 1—The list also includes Barcelona (Spain), Beirut (Lebanon), Chicago (United States), Doha (Qatar), Durban (South Af-rica), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), La Paz (Bolivia), Mexico City, Perth (Australia), Quito (Ecuador), Reykjavik (Iceland) and Vigan (Philippines).

The selected cities stand out for their diver-sity, remarkable in terms of regional geography and urban culture. Having a historic legacy or po-tential to have it in the future, having a strategy that seeks a balance between the infrastructures, living conditions, work and recreation spaces; in addition to having a sustainable growth in cul-ture, the environment, economy and tourism, are some of the criteria for the voting.

Seven Wonders Cities of the World Soon to be Revealed

Continued from page 1—Headed by the Ministry of Tourism and with the backing of the Cuban Embas-sy in the United Kingdom, the Caribbean island’s delegation is also made up by the Gran Caribe, Islazul, Cubanacán and Habaguanex hotel chains; the Gaviota Tourism Group, the Cubatur, Gaviota Tours, Viajes Cubanacán and San Cristóbal trav-el agencies, as well as the Meliá Cuba, Iberostar, Barceló, Blue Diamond, Occidental, SuperClubs and Accor associated international companies.

Among the participation goals, Cuba aims to make new contacts with important tour opera-tors and other tourism professionals, as well as carrying out commercial contracts.

The British market continues among the is-land’s principal issuers, which is why participat-ing in this fair will be very fruitful in terms of ne-gotiations.

▶STAND CA 140

Cuba at WTM 2014

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Travel Trade Caribbean • Year XIV • No. 232 • November 2014news

possibility of gradually and order-ly transferring an estimated 7,000 restaurants currently managed by the state to the non-state sector.

Seen not as competition but rather as a complement of Cuba’s offer, since it stimulates its attrac-tion as a tourist destination, it was a novelty during the last season, and the insertion of the non-state sector in the programs offered by Cuban travel agencies and tour operators to international tour-ism, in terms of accommodations in private houses, restaurants and excursions, is being strongly reaf-firmed in the current season.

The local tourist destination’s product portfolios also include the private ones, given that it al-low for meeting the high demand during the peak seasons.

experience was the emblematic La Divina Pastora Restaurant, located in the Morro Cabaña Historic Park, a World Cultural Heritage Site.

There is already talk, with ex-tensive media coverage, of the

transferring gastronomic estab-lishments owned by public enter-prises to non-state working forms: the so-called tourist cooperatives. In their first stage, 21 units were ap-proved, of which the pioneer in this

Non-state tourism in Cuba con-tinues developing based funda-mentally on a broad network that extends from one tip of the coun-try to the other made up by some 7,000 rooms for accommodations and more than 2,000 “paladares” (the popular name given to pri-vate restaurants).

Characterized by a high-quali-ty and personalized service, non-state tourism, much preferred by Spaniards, Italians and Britons, al-so includes the private taxis, co-lonial coaches and crafts fairs. Meanwhile, private workers in-volved in entertainment, photog-raphy and the planning of parties have started working in state-run tourist installations.

In this context, the tourism au-thorities have started a process of

The emblematic La Divina Pastora Restaurant at Morro-Cabaña historic Park.

Non-State Sector integrates with Cuban Tourist Offer

thatched-roof ranchón restaurant with a cer-tain Mediterranean touch so that the classic ranchón will resemble a theme restaurant but by the beach, open and marine.

“For next year we would just have to work on internal spaces like the spa, and remodel the su-perior rooms that will have a Diamond Club ser-vice,” he concluded.

Three years after entering Cuba, Blue Diamond is managing six hotels with some 4,000 rooms, making it the third foreign chain. In Varadero, Blue Diamond operates, in addi-tion to the Royal Hicacos (the next Royalton), the Memories Varadero Beach Resort; in Cayo Coco, the Memories Caribe and the Flamenco; and in Cayo Santa María, the Memories Paraíso Azul and the Royalton Cayo Santa María.

Royalton brand, which has been in the country for barely two years and was Blue Diamond’s first. We have renovated the reception because our product believes that when guests arrive they must perceive a personalized attention, which is why we replaced the classic reception desk with individual tables where clients are re-ceived by their first name,” Villanueva explained.

“We have also modified, redecorated and expanded the lobby and eliminated the water pools, modernized the lobby bar and updated its furniture, and incorporated in the swimming pools Bali beds that give a more modern and fresher look.

“We are renovating the disco, which we want to turn into an authentic sport bar, and we are concluding the renovation of the beach

Starting December 1, 2014 the Royalton Hicacos Resort & Spa will begin being marketed in Varadero, Mr. Rafael Villan-

ueva, marketing director for Cuba of the Blue Diamond Hotels & Resorts chain, affirmed to TTC.

“The World Travel Market is a propitious sce-nario to introduce this new product, already renovated, to the British market that backed it and, after marketing it well, left the hotel (the current Royal Hicacos) for more than a year in a period of transition without a brand name to endorse it. Now it appears under the image of a brand recognized in the Caribbean, the Royalton.

“We are adapting the Royal Hicacos Hotel to the quality and comfort standards of the

Royalton hicacos Resort & Spa Ready in December in varadero

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The new business opportuni-ties in Cuba highlight that, as a variant of the hotel man-

agement modality, foreign com-panies can now finance the res-toration of buildings for tourism purposes.

In this way, foreign compa-nies that operate or are interested in managing tourist installations

in the country will be able to negotiate great-er contractual facilities with Cuban properties, with a view to recover-ing their investment in a shorter period of time.

According to José R. Daniel, business director of the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) –published by

www.cubasi.cu– participating in the maintenance or construction of hotels is one of the opportuni-ties the island offers with the new Law 118 on Foreign Investment.

This new possibility has aroused the interest of businesspeople will-ing to invest their capital in the Cu-ban tourist sector and especially of the chains already established on national territory.

Daniel added that the mea-sure is very opportune for Cu-ban tourism, focused on mod-ernizing and expanding its hotel plant with high quality standards, but with scarce financial and tech-nological resources to do so.

The new legal framework, the official explained, maintains the traditional variant of hotel man-agement contract, in which Cuban companies owners of property contract foreign managers to ad-minister and market under their band the tourist installations for five extendable years.

Cuba currently has 67 contracts with foreign partners, and it is ex-pected that by the close of this year three more will be added. The Span-ish Valentín Hoteles and the Dutch deluxe Kempinski chains are among those most recently incorporated.

According to the official, inten-tions have been received main-ly from Europe, Asia and South America, in amounts not regis-tered until now and of significant importance for the sector because of the international prestige of the foreign companies that are apply-ing to invest on the island.

José R. Daniel, business

director of the Ministry

of Tourism (MiNTUR).

Photo: TTC.

New foreign investment Opportunities in Cuba’s Tourism

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Travel Trade Caribbean • Year XIV • No. 232 • November 2014 investment

and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Commissioners of Tourism must come from the same Member Country.

Five vice chairs were also elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the Board of Di-rectors. They are the USVI representing the US territories; St. Eustatius, representing the Dutch Caribbean; Martinique representing the French Caribbean; Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago, rep-

resenting the Independent CARICOM countries and the Turks & Caicos Islands repre-

senting the British Overseas Ter-ritories. Each of these Member

Countries will form the Ex-ecutive Committee of the

Board of Directors, which will be completed with

representatives from the private sector.

Minister Sealy succeeds US-VI Commissioner of Tourism, Beverly Nicholson-Doty and will serve a two-year term.

The Barbados minister will shortly name his appoin-tee for the post of Chair-man of the CTO Board of Directors, since, ac-cording to the CTO Constitution, the Board Chairman

Richard Sealy, Minister of Tourism and Interna-tional Transport, is the new chair of the Caribbe-an Tourism Organization (CTO), after the elec-tion that took place last 17 September during the CTO’s Annual General Meeting.

“I look forward to putting my very best foot forward and working along with all of the other entities in the region to deal with some of the vexing problems that we have right now with tourism. And of course to continue the good work that has been done by this organization recently,” the Barbadian Minister said.

Tourism Minister Richard Sealy of Barbados is the new chairman of the CTO

Dining area at Great huts.

and painters are on exhibit through-out the resort. The regular program of cultural activities features local dance groups that present music, dance and African drums brought to Jamaica by the ancestors.

Montego Bay cultural centerArt lovers won’t want to miss

during a visit to the tourist capi-tal of Jamaica that permanent art gallery, museum, space for theater and a craftspeople villa.

nir and crafts shops and the Dev-on House I Scream, manufacturer of the famous brand of Jamaican ice creams listed by National Geo-graphic among the 10 best places to eat ice cream.

Great huts, Port AntonioGuests will be able to notice the

hotel’s pledge to details; the prop-erty reflects Jamaica’s local cul-ture and its African roots. Authen-tic works of art made by Jamaican sculptors, wood carvers, ceramists

Devon house, KingstonA Georgian-style majestic man-

sion built in 1891, formerly the home of Jamaica’s first black mil-lionaire, George Stiebel. Furnished with a collection of 19th centu-ry antiquities from Jamaica and the Caribbean region, today the old stables, the kitchen and oth-er buildings of the property house some of the finest restaurants of Jamaica, patisseries, souve-

Increasingly more travelers are seeking to explore, beyond sun, sand and sea, the history

and culture of a destination, com-mented Paul Pennicook, director of tourism of Jamaica, a Caribbean country that offers travelers the opportunity to undertake a cultur-al journey to experience its culture through multiple options.

A press release from the Jamai-can Tourism Bureau (JTB) is inviting visitors to explore the historic-cul-tural heritage of the island from the capital city of Kingston to the mecca of tourism, Montego Bay, a cultural journey in which tourists can discover Jamaica’s history.

Organized by the JTB, the Meet the People Program allows for participants to join in a wide range of activities, from walks, vis-its to temples, schools or farms, to pleasant conversations sipping a cup of the famous coffee from Ja-maica’s Blue Mountains.

In terms of sites, the following are especially recommended:

Cultural Journey through Jamaica

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Travel Trade Caribbean • Year XIV • No. 232 • November 2014Caribbean

One million cruise ship passengers are expected to visit St Kitts

Over one million cruise ship passengers are expected to visit St Kitts’ Port Zante, for the first time in history, said a news re-lease from the St Kitts Tourism Authority said this month.

“St Kitts continues to grow its cruise tourism sector at an impressive rate, with a projected rise in cruise passenger arriv-als for the 2014/2015 season to more than one million for the first time in the island’s history”, the report added.

It said this represents a 31.5% increase over the 2013/2014 season and a total growth over the past eight years of more than 500%.

This season’s growth is partly because the island will receive six calls from the Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas, in its inaugural 2014/2015 sea-son. St Kitts also sees the return of Disney Cruise Line for the first time since 2009, with the Disney Magic scheduled to make a total of four port calls to the island in 2014/2015.

Inaugural calls are also being made in 2014/2015 by Oceania Cruises’ Insignia and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Pearl, which together will make 17 calls. In addition to increasing passenger arrivals from traditional ports of origin of the US and UK, the geograph-ic markets from which the cruise passen-gers originate have also been expand-ing to include Germany, Italy, France and Spain.

ble for attracting meetings, conventions, trade shows and incentive groups to Puerto Rico.

“One in four rooms occupied in hotels that can accommodate large-scale meetings belongs to the groups and conventions segment,” said Segarra. Groups range from multinational com-panies, to medical, educational conferences and sporting events, among others.

Puerto Rico was selected to host 49 events includ-ing conferences and annual meetings and sports activities for this fall season. This represents an estimated 25,509 room nights and a total direct spending of $14.3 million into the local economy, according to Milton Segarra, president & CEO of Meet Puerto Rico (MPR-Puerto Rico Convention Bureau). MPR is a private organization responsi-

Puerto Rico Convention Center.

Puerto Rico was selected to host 49 international events for the fall season

had been held in Brazil and that it had made it possible to get information about new destina-tions on the island as well as its non-hotel de-velopment, according to www.cubaminrex.cu.

Meanwhile, Mr. Roberto Silva, president of Sanchattour, the leading agency in the sale of the destination, said that this prize is a way of paying tribute to Cuba, by virtue of its tourist and commercial performance, its ability for in-novation and creativity and for being a destina-tion where clients are always satisfied.

Personalities from the sector, airline compa-nies, hotels, tour operators and beaches were al-so given prizes during the event, demonstrating that for Brazilian tourism Cuba is a competitive and authentic destination, with many attrac-tions still to be discovered.

Cuba received the prize for the best Inter-national Destination in Sao Paulo, in The 10 Best of Tourism edition, an event where,

in turn, the most relevant executives, companies and destinations in 2014 were honored. Mr. Pau-lo Robeto Miranda, president of the magazine Brazil Travel News, which celebrated its 30 years of coming out, handed over the prize for the Ca-ribbean island to the Cuban Consul General in Sao Paulo, Mrs. Nélida Hernández.

The Cuban diplomat said the Cuban Minis-try of Tourism had been developing promotion strategies for the island’s tourist offer for Brazil and that this has been an effort of joint actions with airlines, travel agencies and Brazilian insti-tutions. She added that recently, under the co-ordination of Braztoa, the Cuba Tourism Week

Cuba Declared Best Tourist Destination at Sao Paulo Event

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Travel Trade Caribbean • Year XIV • No. 232 • November 2014Caribbean

Ministry of Tourism to Sponsor Dominican Tennis PlayerThe Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic (MITUR) will sponsor with US$ 100,000 tennis player Víctor Manuel Estrella, who is in 65th place in the world ranking of the Association of Tennis Pro-fessionals (ATP).

Through this sponsorship contract the tennis player will be able to pay for the annual expenditures for his training and participation in 25/30 international championships until 2015. Estrella has partici-pated in important tennis championships of the Grand Slam like the Roland Garros, Wimbledon and USOPEN.

The tennis player said that MITUR’s backing guarantees that the Dominican Republic will have a representative in world tennis, that his goal is to be number 50 among the world tennis players and that this collaboration with MITUR is fundamental in achieving his objective.

The Ministry of Tourism will be able to include Estrella in publicity spots as well as use the recording of the championships. PH

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The third edition of the Discover Puerto Plata MarketPlace tourism fair concluded successfully last October 3 with a re-cord participation of tour operators from Europe, the United States, South America and Australia and the announcement of three new flights to that tourist destination of the North Coast of the Dominican Republic.

The Vacation Transat tour operator will be-gin this winter three flights to Puerto Plata, two from Canada (Hamilton and Saint Georges) and from the United States (Boston). The flights from Canada will be carried out between December

17 and April 2015, while the one from Boston, with the JetBlue airline, will be on Fridays and began on November 1.

From January to Au-gust of this year, Puerto Plata’s Gregorio Luperón International Airport re-ceived 95,492 Canadian

tourists (-6.6% with respect to 2013) and 92,708 from the U.S. (+6.38%). They were followed by the German visitors, which totaled 22,852 (+7.61%); and the British, 18,810 (+22.20%). Out of all the tourists who arrived in Puerto Plata, 71.82% came from North America and 26.88% from Europe.

Three New flights to Puerto Plata

Denmark and specifically its autonomous region of Greenland, from where a part of the hump-back whales that each year migrate to the warm Dominican waters to mate and breed come from, will continue catching these cetaceans.

This was established by the Internation-al Whaling Commission (IWC), the agency in charge of regulating the capture of whales, in its 65th plenary assembly held September 11-18 in Portoroz, Slovenia.

The fishing limit for humpback whales that the IWC allows in western Greenland is nine specimens per year, plus another 200 whales of other species.

The last IWC authorization had been granted for the 2008-2012 season and, then, since 2013 Greenland caught its whales without interna-tional permission. Notwithstanding the mobili-zation of ecologist groups like Greenpeace and the vote against by the Dominican government –together with other countries like Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Costa Rica–, the package of proposals for an amendment and the res-olution led by the European Union to confirm Greenland’s limit for aboriginal subsistence (that however legalizes the marketing of whale meat products, seriously undermining the com-mercial whaling moratorium –the ecologists re-vealed) were approved.

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The draft State General Budget for 2015 amounts to $630.934 billion Dominican pesos ($17.798 billion Dominican pesos more with respect to this year: +2.9%).

The flow of foreign tourists by air to the Dominican Republic during the January-August period of this year has registered a 9.75% growth, for a total of 3,175,033 arrivals. That is, 282,063 more with respect to the same period in 2013. Among the first 15 tourist issuing markets to the Dominican Republic, 14 noted a growth in the first half of the year (with the sole exception of France).

Continued from page 1—The draft budget for next year allots MITUR $4.213.2 billion Dominican pesos (some 100 million USD) with an in-crease of 613.6 million pesos, 17% more with respect to 2014, when the Ministry of Tourism received 3.599.6 billion in resources.

The resources are mainly assigned for boosting the Dominican Re-public’s promotion programs that MITUR is carrying out worldwide in order to consistently increase the number of tourists that each year choose the country as the destination for their vacations.

Dominican Government Approves More Resources for Tourism

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Travel Trade Caribbean • Year XIV • No. 232 • November 2014Dominican Republic

The second part strictly speaking con-sists of the directory which lists around 1,000 references of places of interest basically for tourism professionals (organized by prov-inces), with their addresses, telephone num-bers, email addresses and websites (if they have them). It is structured in the following chapters: Banks, Entities, Foreign hotel com-panies, Hotels, Airports, Cruise Terminals, Air cargo terminals, Airlines, Land transpor-tation, Marinas, Real estate agencies, Inter-national diving centers, Convention centers, Specialized assistance centers, Travel agen-cies and Tour operators, Infotur and Private services.

The COB Cuba Monograph will be distrib-uted by courtesy during FITCuba 2015 and in the world tourism fairs where TTC partic-ipates, as well as during other sector-related meetings.

TTC Travel Trade Caribbean will release the fourth edition of the Caribbean Operators Book (COB) Cuba Monograph during the FITCuba 2015 International Tourism Fair, to be held May 5-7 in Cayo Coco, Jardines del Rey.

The COB Cuba Monograph is basically divid-ed into two parts: a Mini guide of Cuba in Span-ish, Italian and English and a strictly speaking directory.

The Mini guide begins with General Infor-mation about Cuba, featuring: geographical, demographic and social data according to re-cent official statistics; political-administrative divisions, national symbols, places declared by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites, the first Cuban townships and biosphere reserves.

Following this there is a description of the principal tourist destinations, organized by the three geographical regions –western, central and eastern– and by provinces.

TTC to Release COB Cuba Monograph at fiTCuba 2015

Cuba (November 21-30, 2014) in the printed edi-tions, the digital bulletin TTC News and the TTC website3. Media coverage on the presence of Italy in the 32nd Havana International Trade Fair (FIHAV 2014, November 2-8) in the printed editions, the digital bulletin TTC News and the TTC website4. Systematic coverage on Cuba’s participation in Expo Milan 2015 (May 1-October 31)5. Release during FITCuba 2015 of the fourth edi-tion of the Caribbean Operators Book, COB Cuba Monograph 2015-2016, in Italian, English and

Spanish6. Start up, at FITCuba 2015, of the program of activities for the 20th Anniversary of TCC, which will coincide with the holding of

FITCuba 2016.

TTC Travel Trade Caribbean, the only Italian medium special-izing in tourism accredited in Cuba, has programed a group of actions to promote the appointment of Italy as honor-ary guest country to the 35th International Tourism Fair (FITCuba 2015), to be held May 5-7:1. Publicize the work of Italian entities present in Cuba,

linked in one way or another to the tourist sector, from October 2014 to May 2015, in all the printed editions –starting with the present TTG Incon-tri 2014 and in the following WTM 2014, FIHAV 2014, FITUR 2015, BIT 2015, ITB 2015 and the issue for FITCuba 2015; in the digital bulle-tin TTC News –two weekly editions in Ital-ian, English and Spanish– and through the TTC website

2. Give journalistic coverage to the principal activities of the Italian Culture Week in

TTC Gets Ready for fiTCuba 2015, with

italy as Guest Country

▶TTC GETS READY FOR FITCubA 2015

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www.melia-jardinesdelrey.com [email protected]

corner, miniclub, babysitting ser-vice, family coordinators and chil-dren’s activities at the beach and the swimming pool.

Moreover, it has Wi-Fi connec-tion and facilities for events, profes-sional as well as social: a convention room, outside areas for cocktails and coffee breaks, a wedding gaze-bo and alternative locations.

Just by the resort stands a tour-ist town with services and facilities apart from the All Inclusive: Japa-nese restaurant, bowling alley and games room, disco, spa, gym, shops and crafts galleries.

Meliá Jardines del Rey, Meliá Hotels International’s accommo-dation number 27 in Cuba, pro-poses comfort, fun and relaxation in Playa Flamenco, just 10 km from the Cayo Coco International Airport.

rants (Cuban, French, Mediterra-nean, Asian and seafood cuisine), a beach thatched-roofed restaurant (ranchón), two snack bars, an ice cream parlor and six bars.

Since it is a vacation resort es-pecially recommended for fam-ilies, Meliá Jardines del Rey has a daily program for children, a kids

catamaran, kayak and waterbike service, as well as diving lessons and practices.

The entertainment options are expanded through five freshwa-ter swimming pools, two tennis courts and a multipurpose track, in addition to areas for volleyball, ac-tive and table games. The gastro-nomic proposal is made up by one buffet and five specialized restau-

Meliá Hotels International has just inaugurated Meliá Jardines del Rey, a

five-star resort located on Cayo Coco, to the north of the central re-gion of the island. This is the larg-est of the accommodations that the Spanish company manages in Cuba, with 1,176 rooms distributed in 25 three-floor bungalows.

An attractive boulevard that starts in the lobby and ends at the beach is the backbone of this great resort recommended for families, couples, weddings, honeymoons, events and incentives.

Meliá Jardines del Rey operates under the All-Inclusive modality in the privileged environment of the more than 1,000-meter-long Playa Flamenco, with white sandy beaches featuring calm and not very deep waters. In addition to its natural attractions, in the western area there is a nautical point with

Meliá Jardines del Rey, New Proposal in Cuba

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International Airport (AZS) in Samaná, the air-line’s sixth destination in the Dominican Repub-lic. JetBlue is strengthening its hold as the com-pany with the most operations in the Caribbean country.

United Airlines Announces New Direct Service between Panama and DenverUnited Airlines announced its new non-stop

flight between Panama City, the Republic of Panama, and its hub in Denver’s International Airport, starting December 3, 2014. It will oper-ate on a daily basis until August and five times a week in September and October, using Boeing 737-700s seating 118 passengers.

fly to the Argentini-ans’ favorite Caribbe-an destinations nine times a week –all of them with a technical stop-over in Caracas, Venezuela.

The Buenos Aires-Havana service consists of two frequencies a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, and will start on Sunday January 4, 2015. The flights to Punta Cana will start on Sat-urday January 3, three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday), while departures for Cancún will be on Mondays and Fridays.

JetBlue includes Service to Samaná, Dominican RepublicJetBlue will launch a service comprising two

weekly flights, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with an Airbus A320, between New York’s JFK International Airport and President Juan Bosch

five New Russia-Mexican Caribbean flightsTransaero and Norwind have been oper-

ating since October 2014 five new flights be-tween Russia and Cancún, four weekly and one every 10 days, from the capital Moscow and Saint Petersburg. To start off, they would be arriving during the winter months, but they could be permanent, depending on the de-mand. The Russian tourist market is already one of the five most important for Cancún and one of the issuers with the greatest growth in recent years.

Aerolíneas Argentinas Expands flights to CaribbeanAerolíneas Argentinas will start its dai-

ly flights from Ezeiza to Havana (Cuba), Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and Cancún (Mex-ico) on January 2015, with already confirmed schedules, destinations and prices, using Boeing 737-800s for 170 passengers. It will thus

New Air Connections in the Caribbean

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restored; and new cultural institutions are being readied –Museum of Dec-orative Arts and Workshop for the restoration of museum pieces.

The Bahía-Carretera Turística Maritime Promenade is being revital-ized up to the Morro Castle, and works are being undertaken to preserve the coastal underwater heritage and waters close to Santiago, where the shipwrecks remain of vessels that sank during the Naval War of the Cu-ban-Spanish-U.S. War, among other underwater treasures.

Other actions contributing to improving the offer of this destination is the project that comprises Los Caminos del Café route, which safe-guards the ruins of the coffee plantations of the 18th and 19th centuries; the construction of a hotel in the Marina Santiago de Cuba, and the cre-ation of a Leisure Center conceived for family tourism.

Santiago is famous for being the cradle of the light rum –which is why the Cuba Ron Corporation will release the brand Santiago de Cuba 500– and of several Cuban musical genres, especially the traditional trova. It is the venue of the country’s most spectacular carnivals and of the Caribbean Festival, whose 2015 edition will be precisely dedicated to the anniversary of the township and its modular role in inter-Caribbean relations.

The city inherited the syncretism of the indigenous people, the Span-iards, the African blacks and the French, while assimilating the influx of the insular Caribbean, thus its strong Caribbean roots. It has three World Heritage Sites: the San Pedro de la Roca Fortress, the Archaeological land-scape of the first coffee plantations to the southeast of Cuba and the Tum-ba Francesa.

Known as the “most Caribbean,” the city of Santiago de Cuba will ren-ovate the tourist offer on the advent of its 500th anniversary based on the recovery of its historic and architectural heritage, the reani-

mation of the city and the improvement of its image. Founded on July 25, 1515 by Don Diego Velázquez, it was the sixth Cuban township and the country’s first capital.

The heritage areas, starting from the foundational ring to beyond the city limits, have been given a marked priority in the preparatory program to commemorate the half millennium.

Outstanding among the previewed investments is the rehabilitation of the emblematic Imperial Hotel, in the heart of the historic center, after some 30 years out of service. Around Céspedes Park, buildings representa-tive of Santiago’s eclecticism, like the Cathedral, the Historic Environment and Emilio Bacardí museums, the centenarian San Carlos Club, are being

Santiago de Cuba Turns 500

celebrations for the city’s 500th Anniversary.

The Hotel E Plaza is in the old side of the city and is a perfect option for those wishing to explore that lovely city, discover its traditions, customs and how its people live.

Chosen for the category of Hoteles Encanto, visitors will un-doubtedly find excellence in the Hotel E Rijo. It is located in a con-struction built between 1818 and 1827, with a typical colonial ar-chitecture and French wood-work with small windows over the doors, stained-glass windows and the ironwork of handrails. Its workers’ professionalism, which translates into a very high-quality service, will make the stay an ex-perience to be repeated.

These beautiful hotels open their doors to visitors to provide them with an agreeable stay that, togeth-er with their privileged locations, will allow them to get to know the charms of the city of Sancti Spíritus.

hotel E Don florencio. hotel E Plaza.

hotel E Rijo.

Sancti Spíritus is a city of narrow and whimsical streets. Its pecu-liar urban layout, where the in-digenous and the Spanish im-print are juxtaposed, gift it with a very beautiful colonial environ-ment. These incentives turn it in-to an interesting city for those who decide to visit the Cuba Des-tination.

This is why the Islazul Hotel Group is tirelessly working to make possible the stay of those wishing to get to know this Cuban city, since it has several accommo-dations to satisfy travelers.

This is the case of the complex of the Hoteles E (Hoteles Encanto), such as the Rijo, Plaza and Don Florencio. The latter is located on Sancti Spíritus’ boulevard and was inaugurated last June 4 during the

Experiencing Sancti Spíritus with islazul

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Opened in 1957, at the time it was one of the major hotels/casi-no that very soon became an icon of the capital. It welcomed among its guests illustrious personalities and Hollywood stars, and it was frequented by the U.S. mafia un-til 1959, to the point that it is al-luded to in the famous film The Godfather, inspired on the novel by the same name by Mario Puzo.

By managing this hotel, proper-ty of the Gran Caribe Hotel Group, the NH Hotel Group increases its portfolio in Latin America, a strate-gic market for the company, and es-tablishes its commitment to a qual-ity offer in first-class destinations.

has an impressive panoramic view of the city, gym, events room for 40 persons and Internet/WiFi in its Business center, rooms and pub-lic areas. Specifically the exclu-sive services in the four executive floors, as well as direct access from one of them to the pool, turns it into the only hotel on the island with these characteristics.

Of exquisite elegance and sim-plicity, the NH Capri, one of Hava-na’s most important hotels from the architectural point of view, is located in a 19-floor building and has 220 spacious and lighted air-conditioned rooms –192 stan-dard, six superior, 10 duplex, 10 ju-nior suites and two suites– with satellite TV, telephone for local and international calls, minibar, safety deposit box, hairdryer and hydromassage in the suites.

Especially standing out among its facilities are three restaurants, a snack bar, two bars, round-the-clock room service, swimming pool on the roof from where one

After reopening in Decem-ber 2013, totally rebuilt and renovated according to con-

temporary tendencies, the em-blematic NH Capri Hotel, an all-time classic of Havana’s hotels, combines its charm and style of the 1950s with the comfort and modernity of the 21st century.

Located in the most centrally located part of El Vedado, a few meters from the Malecón seaside drive and just 10 minutes from Old Havana, this accommodating, comfortable and functional hotel is ideal for businesspeople, incen-tive groups, leisure stays and hon-eymoons.

Nh Capri hotel, an All-Time Classic

the digital/social sphere, with regions and asso-ciations like Abu Dhabi, the German Hotel and Restaurant Association and Hotelleriesuisse ex-ploring the integration of online guest reviews into traditional methods for hotel classification.

The report presents an integrated approach whereby guest reviews add a subjective dimen-sion to the objective elements of hotel clas-sifications, thereby refining the classification method.

The report counted on interviews conduct-ed by QualityMark Norway, Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality Research, Tourism Ireland and AA Ireland as well as with the views of ex-ecutives, managers and general managers of hotels, guest review providers and online trav-el agents.

Source: UNWTO Press Release

The emergence of user-generated content reviews has revolutionized the travel deci-sion-making process as travellers are increas-ingly dependent on online guest reviews to make their purchase decisions. As online trav-el-related searches are on the rise, hotel classifi-cations and guest reviews have complementary roles in the search process.

Data shows that before making an online hotel reservation, consumers visit on average 14 different travel-related sites with about three visits per site, and carry out nine travel-related searches on search engines. Official hotel clas-sifications are often used by consumers as a fil-ter while guest reviews are key in taking a final decision.

In view of these trends, there is increasing interest in taking the classification process to

According to the report Online Guest Reviews and Hotel Classification Systems: An Integrated Ap-proach, the integration of guest reviews into ho-tel classification can yield financial gains while meeting customer needs and expectations.

The report, jointly prepared by UNWTO and Norwegian Accreditation, an agency of the Min-istry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries of Norway, through its QualityMark Norway programme, looks into how hotel classifications and online guest reviews can be incorporated to reduce the gap between guests’ expectations and ex-periences.

The report shows that a refined and integrat-ed model, whether through full integration or in parallel, is expected to have positive financial impacts as consumer confidence in hotel classi-fication increases purchase intention.

integration of Guest Reviews into hotel Classification Can Yield Positive impacts

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Five new hotels are being built to the north of Villa Clara, four in Cayo Santa María and one in Cayo Las Brujas; and toward the center south, the Ambrosio –in Sancti Spíritus– and the Pansea and Palacio Iznaga –both in Trinidad– hotels.

Moreover, in Jardines del Rey (north of Ciego de Avila), specifically in Cayo Coco, the Flamenco III and IV and Pullman Cayo Coco establishments are at an advanced stage and will be managed by Accor; and in Cayo Guillermo the Pilar II Hotel and another two in Punta Raza are being built.

Camagüey has joined this effort with an in-vestment program in the Santa Lucía beach re-sort, where two hotels would be built –a total of 1,000 five-star rooms– by a joint venture with the Spanish Barceló Group. Camagüey is partici-pating in the project of the group of keys to the north of the country’s region with some 22,000 rooms from Cayo Cruz to Cayo Sabinal.

The start of the investments of the Iberostar Guardalavaca and the final stage of Gibara’s sec-ond hotel are taking place in the northern zone of Holguín. In Santiago de Cuba the Imperial Ho-tel is being built and in Baracoa the Malecón II.

Meanwhile, hotel developments are about to start in Cayo Paredón Grande and Cayo Cruz and in the Peninsula of the Ramón de Antilla.

the installations of the Packard and the Prado y Malecón.

Meanwhile, in Varadero the Las Conchas I and II hotels are being built, as well as the final stage of the condominiums of the Marina Gaviota and the new Internacional. Close to the beach re-sort, in Carbonera, the first joint venture was es-tablished for real estate developments linked to golf –between the Cuban non-hotel Palmares Group and the British Esencia– with a view to building an 18-hole golf course, an 80-room boutique hotel, 951 real estate units, a spa and a shopping mall, among other facilities.

The Cuban tourist industry will continue invest-ments with the aim of completing more than 85,500 international standard rooms by 2020, Minister of Tourism Manuel Marrero affirmed.

At present, Cuba has more than 60,000 rooms, 66.5% in four- and five-star hotels, whose growth by more than 10,000 new rooms is advancing at a good pace thanks to an in-tense investment process under execution.

Rancho San Vicente and Cayo Levisa, in Pinar del Río, to the west of the island, are be-ing expanded: in Havana, the Manzana Hotel is being built and the start is being prepared for

Cuba to have More Than 85,000 Rooms by 2020

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Destinationsconnectedby Aerogaviota

Havana-Cayos de Villa Clara Daily From Monday to Saturday

Havana-Jardines del Rey Weekly Thursday

Havana-Holguín-Baracoa Weekly Wednesdays and Saturdays

Paradise) to the Cayos de Villa Clara and Aven-tura a los Cayos (Adventure to the Cays) to Jar-dines del Rey. From the Cayos de Villa Clara and Jardines del Rey to the capital: Habana por Avión (Havana by Plane); and in the eastern re-gion, Pincelada Oriental (Eastern Brushstroke) –a proposal that combines the three most Ca-ribbean provinces of that region, Santiago de Cuba, Baracoa and Holguín, in a package that makes it possible to get to know the most rel-evant sites and their mixture of history, culture and nature.

Some of the designed excursions include the one destination trip, with a return ticket for the same day, the second or the third. Among them we have, from Havana, Vuelo al Paraíso (Flight to

Gaviota Tours, the travel agency of the Gaviota Tourism Group, invites you to get acquainted and live Cuba’s principal

tourist destinations, with their fabulous hotels, friendly people and a constant mixture of cul-ture and history.

To enjoy the island from one tip to the other the agency has the Aerogaviota airline flights, which connect destinations that are far from each other, allows for easy combinations in pro-grams and excursions and decreases the time intervals, guaranteeing short trips, high com-fort, safety and passengers’ delight.

Visits to Havana, the Cayos de Villa de Clara, Jardines del Rey, Holguín and Baracoa are possi-ble through this air connection, as well as Hava-na from each one of them. The best part is that in just one day you can return.

In these destinations, Gaviota Tours proposes diverse options, from city excursions to adven-tures in direct contact with nature and the sea, as well as a diverse range of variants linked to the sea and nature in marinas and theme parks.

A portfolio of varied and proven excursions, circuits and combinations, accompanied by specialized guides with a high degree of profes-sionalism and dynamism, is backed by modern hotels of the Gaviota Group, managed by pres-tigious international chains like Meliá Hotels International, Iberostar, Blau, H10, Riu, Blue Diamond, Hotusa and Pestana.

Combining Cuba’s Options and DestinationsMake it Come True… Only with Gaviota Tours

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• [email protected]• [email protected]: +53 7 860 5212

Pullman Cayo CocoNEW OPENING AUGUST 2015

TTC WTM 2014

Documents

Transcript of TTC WTM 2014