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Cuba poised to become No. 1
Published: Friday | May 7, 2010
The Anglophone Caribbean ought to be recognizing now the need to strengthen and
position national brands in a manner that differentiates its offering from Cuba
or any other international destination, say tourism stakeholders.
At one of the most highly anticipated sessions at the just-concluded Caribbean
Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference titled 'Cuba - Will It Become The #1
Tourism Destination?', both Dr Timothy Ashby, PhD, JD, MBA, a specialist on
trade and investment strategies for Cuba, and David Jessop, director of
Britain's Cuba Initiative, have agreed that the Spanish-speaking Caribbean
country could become the leading tourism destination in the region.
However, Ashby went even further, saying that Cuba, which is currently in the
number-three position, would take the top slot within two years.
"Cuba could easily be number one if the ban is lifted by the United States. They
had well over 2.4 million visitors in 2009, and they were not from the US," said
the noted attorney.
Ashby's comments came as a result of his belief that United States President
Barack Obama could pass laws lifting certain sanctions on Cuba by year end.
Predictions by the American Society of Travel Agents and the Cuban government
are that there will be at least one million US visitors travelling to that
country in one year and three million in five years after the ban is lifted.
The only setback is the infra-structure, which is not equipped to accommodate
the influx of visitors.
But according to Jessop, the likelihood that it will take the number-one
position is still some way away.
"There would have to be significantly more investment in a wider range of
branded hotels and attractions; there would have to be a much stronger top end
of the market offering; and there would have to be a dramatic increase in
airlift from the US, offering connections to both US citizens and others to
travel freely in and out of Cuba. All of these are matters that Cuba itself will
have to balance with its desire to maintain its unique culture and social
system."
He said that even then, there was no clear evidence as to the likely impact on
the rest of the region, the pace at which change might take place or whether it
would be diversionary. A more probable scenario, he said, is that the first
effect would be for cruise ships out of South Florida to abandon some Eastern
Caribbean destinations and sail around Cuba before moving on to home-porting in
Cuba.
harmful to smaller islands
Ashby concurred. According to him, Cuba's liberalization will prove harmful to
smaller islands.
"The islands with the advantage are Jamaica, Cayman, The Bahamas and the Virgin
Islands because they can differentiate themselves from the Cuban culture."
In the meantime, the hierarchy of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA)
welcomes Cuba's return into mainstream tourism.
"It's an exciting, long-overdue moment in our history, but it must carefully
strategize to ensure the right kinds of developments are in the pipeline," said
CHTA President Enrique De Marchena Kaluche.
His counterpart at the Caribbean Tourism Organization, Hugh Riley, was also
confident, saying the rising tide would raise all boats.
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