CUBA: Tourism Growth A Result Of Normalization Of Relations With U.S. Under Barack Obama,

The Cuban government said Friday that the economy is growing again following a decline last year that was the first drop reported in two decades.

Economy Minister Ricardo Cabrisas said at the opening session of the National Assembly that Cuba’s GDP grew just more than 1 percent in the first six months of 2017 and is on track to hit an estimated 2 percent for the full year.

The rebound came despite the economic crisis in Venezuela, which provides oil and other support to the island.

The government said Cuba’s economy shrank last year by 1 percent amid falling help from Venezuela, which is struggling with triple-digit inflation and widespread shortages of food and other basic goods.

The decrease was the first reported by Cuba in years.

Cuban media quoted Cabrisas as telling the assembly that instability in the supply of Venezuelan oil weighs on the country’s economy but tourism, construction, transportation and communications are all growing.

Foreign media were not allowed to attend the session, which was presided over by President Raul Castro.

Some growth in tourism is the result of the normalization of relations with the U.S. that was started by President Barack Obama and is now threatened under President Donald Trump.



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CUBA: Foreign Hotel Chains Increase In Cuba

Cuba has continued diversifying and expanding foreign participation in the tourism sector, particularly in the most expanded modality: hotel administration and marketing contracts with companies of renowned international prestige, some of which are previewing that the foreign part contributes the required resources to remodel existing installations and to introduce new brands.

Protected by 82 contracts, 19 international hotel chains are operating in Cuba 95 hotels, which concentrate 41,051 rooms – 97% of them with a four- and five-star category -, according to information of the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) at the close of January 2017. Thirteen joint ventures are included among the contracts referred to.

Out of these managements, 11 are of Spanish origin and represent 58% of the associations in the country: they manage 75 hotels, 79% of which operate under that modality. The remaining companies are from Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Portugal, Singapore and Switzerland.

On the Cuban side, Gaviota is the counterpart of 45% of the contracts; Gran Caribe, 31%; Cubanacán, 23%; and Islazul, 1%.

Distributed in the island’s principal tourist destinations, Varadero has 37% of the hotels administrated by foreign managements; Havana 22%; Cayos de Villa Clara 16%; Jardines del Rey (Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo), 15%; and the northern coast of Holguín 5%. In Cayo Largo del Sur, Jibacoa, Trinidad, Camagüey’s Santa Lucía beach, and Santiago de Cuba two hotels operate administrated by international managements.

Out of these installations under administration contracts, 76% respond to the sun and beach tourism modality, which has usually predominated during these years; and the remaining 24% offer the city product combined with cultural, historic and heritage tourism – compared to previous statistics, it is confirmed that foreign administration in city hotels has been growing, according to the approved sectorial policy.

The Business Opportunities Portfolio for Foreign Investment in Cuba’s Tourism Sector presents 110 projects that serve as the foundation to create new international economic associations or new hotel administration and marketing contracts, some of them with foreign financing.

Projected in favor of expanding the presence of recognized international chains in the management and marketing of hotels; to renovate the hotel room plant through restorations, expansions and new constructions, and to increase the number and the standards of rooms, especially in city hotels, the Portfolio is in turn directed at diversifying the tourist product, attracting high-standard markets and extending the non-hotel sector to the real estate development associated to golf courses, complements of totally Cuban marinas and high-tech theme parks.

More than 50% of those projects are already the object of interest by investors from several countries and are in the stage of preliminary negotiations between foreign and Cuban companies, especially those linked to the construction and renovation of hotels and to marinas.

MINTUR, according to its general director of development, José Daniel Alonso, is presently updating the portfolio for this year, which will have more than 150 projects, to build new installations as well as to remodel the existing ones.

Foreign management: Hotel Chains, Country Of Origin And Number of Rooms

Meliá Hotels International - Spain - 13,176

Blue Diamond Hotels & Resorts - Canada - 8,472

Iberostar Hotels & Resorts - Spain - 5,830

H10 Hoteles - Spain - 2,040

Blau Hotels & Resorts - Spain- 1,777

Warwick International Hotels and Resorts - France - 1,243

Valentín Hotels - Spain - 1,208

Sercotel Hoteles - Spain - 1,195

Roc Hotels - Spain - 1,022

Be Live Hotels – Globalia - Spain - 949

Barceló Hotels & Resorts - Spain - 883

Accor Hotels - France - 696

Banyan Tree - Singapore - 516

BlueBay Hotels & Resorts - Spain - 510

Pestana Hotels & Resorts - Portugal - 508

Elite Club Vacanze - Italy - 291

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide - United States - 269

Kempinski Hotels S.A. - Switzerland - 246

NH Hotels - Spain - 220

CUBA: Foreign Hotel Chains Increase In Cuba

Cuba has continued diversifying and expanding foreign participation in the tourism sector, particularly in the most expanded modality: hotel administration and marketing contracts with companies of renowned international prestige, some of which are previewing that the foreign part contributes the required resources to remodel existing installations and to introduce new brands.

Protected by 82 contracts, 19 international hotel chains are operating in Cuba 95 hotels, which concentrate 41,051 rooms – 97% of them with a four- and five-star category -, according to information of the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) at the close of January 2017. Thirteen joint ventures are included among the contracts referred to.

Out of these managements, 11 are of Spanish origin and represent 58% of the associations in the country: they manage 75 hotels, 79% of which operate under that modality. The remaining companies are from Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Portugal, Singapore and Switzerland.

On the Cuban side, Gaviota is the counterpart of 45% of the contracts; Gran Caribe, 31%; Cubanacán, 23%; and Islazul, 1%.

Distributed in the island’s principal tourist destinations, Varadero has 37% of the hotels administrated by foreign managements; Havana 22%; Cayos de Villa Clara 16%; Jardines del Rey (Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo), 15%; and the northern coast of Holguín 5%. In Cayo Largo del Sur, Jibacoa, Trinidad, Camagüey’s Santa Lucía beach, and Santiago de Cuba two hotels operate administrated by international managements.

Out of these installations under administration contracts, 76% respond to the sun and beach tourism modality, which has usually predominated during these years; and the remaining 24% offer the city product combined with cultural, historic and heritage tourism – compared to previous statistics, it is confirmed that foreign administration in city hotels has been growing, according to the approved sectorial policy.

The Business Opportunities Portfolio for Foreign Investment in Cuba’s Tourism Sector presents 110 projects that serve as the foundation to create new international economic associations or new hotel administration and marketing contracts, some of them with foreign financing.

Projected in favor of expanding the presence of recognized international chains in the management and marketing of hotels; to renovate the hotel room plant through restorations, expansions and new constructions, and to increase the number and the standards of rooms, especially in city hotels, the Portfolio is in turn directed at diversifying the tourist product, attracting high-standard markets and extending the non-hotel sector to the real estate development associated to golf courses, complements of totally Cuban marinas and high-tech theme parks.

More than 50% of those projects are already the object of interest by investors from several countries and are in the stage of preliminary negotiations between foreign and Cuban companies, especially those linked to the construction and renovation of hotels and to marinas.

MINTUR, according to its general director of development, José Daniel Alonso, is presently updating the portfolio for this year, which will have more than 150 projects, to build new installations as well as to remodel the existing ones.

Foreign management

Meliá Hotels International - Spain - 13,176

Blue Diamond Hotels & Resorts - Canada - 8,472

Iberostar Hotels & Resorts - Spain - 5,830

H10 Hoteles - Spain - 2,040

Blau Hotels & Resorts - Spain- 1,777

Warwick International Hotels and Resorts - France - 1,243

Valentín Hotels - Spain - 1,208

Sercotel Hoteles - Spain - 1,195

Roc Hotels - Spain - 1,022

Be Live Hotels – Globalia - Spain - 949

Barceló Hotels & Resorts - Spain - 883

Accor Hotels - France - 696

Banyan Tree - Singapore - 516

BlueBay Hotels & Resorts - Spain - 510

Pestana Hotels & Resorts - Portugal - 508

Elite Club Vacanze - Italy - 291

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide - United States - 269

Kempinski Hotels S.A. - Switzerland - 246

NH Hotels - Spain - 220

CUBA: Number Of Americans Interested In Visiting Cuba Declining

Americans are less interested in travel to Cuba this year than they were in 2016, a survey from insurance provider Allianz Global Assistance found. Some 76% of the 1,514 respondents said they were not likely to plan a trip to Cuba in 2017 compared to 70% in 2016.

2% of those surveyed planned to visit Cuba in the next six months or by the end of 2017, the same as 2016 despite a projected increase in travelers from the country’s ministry of tourism. It also found that 60% of Americans said they did not like to travel to Cuba compared to just 58% in 2016.

Although some of these shifts may be expected after the initial flurry of interest, flight trends also suggest demand is lower than initially expected. When the country opened up, just about every U.S. airline was obsessed with getting as many routes into Havana as it possibly could. Now a lot of the flights are empty.

Indeed, the initial excitement about the formerly closed off country gave way to moral dilemmas over food shortages and other problems caused by tourism, as well as disappointment over limited working internet, lower hotel standards, and lack of running water there. Lack of travel infrastructure was a major cause of anxiety about traveling to Cuba for 13% of Americans.

The slide in demand has led a number of airlines to reduce or completely eliminate flights to the country, including Silver Airways, a Florida-headquartered domestic airline that dropped all nine of its planned routes to Cuba. Frontier is dropping its Miami-Havana route by June 4, after costs in Havana significantly exceeded initial assumptions.

Spirit Airlines will drop its last flight to Cuba by June 1: The costs of serving Havana continue to outweigh the demand for service, Spirit Airlines SAVE, -0.77% president and chief executive officer of Bob Fornaro said in April.

Sumers suggested confusion over the approved reasons to go to Cuba is keeping the average American visitor away still. As of May 2017, visitors to the country have to select one of 12 categories for their visit, which include religious activities, humanitarian projects, support for the Cuban people,and journalistic activities.

You can’t go to Cuba to sit on the beach and have fun and that’s what Americans like to do on vacation. Cuba is difficult, it is not easy to visit and for a lot of people it’s still a pain. You have to really want to go there.

While flights to Cuba continue to fluctuate, interest in trips to the country remains high, according to separate data from travel search website Kayak, indicating that there is initial interest in flying there, even if that interest doesn’t last.

It found a 173% increase in Cuba searches in April 2017 compared to April 2016, and listed Cuba as the number one trending destination heading into 2017.

Kayak’s data reflects searches, not actual bookings. Plus, this jump in interest is likely to be expected after former President Obama relaxed travel restrictions in March 2016.

It’s possible that people are searching for Cuba travel to explore their options, but decide not to go once they learn of the travel restrictions or conduct their research on lodging options, which are still limited at this point, let alone very expensive.

Hotels are expensive in Cuba, since there are so few of them that meet U.S. standards, and while accommodation is cheap compared to the U.S., many of the Airbnb listings may fall short of expectations in other countries.

Nevertheless, Airbnb says Cuba is its fastest growing market.

The uncertainty about Cuba travel comes after a record year for tourism in the country: 4 million tourists visited in 2016, a 13% increase from 2015, and the Cuban ministry of tourism previously projected a further increase to 4.1 million visitors in 2017.

Engage Cuba, a coalition of private companies and local leaders in favor of lifting the trade embargo on Cuba, said they expect the influx of tourists to continue to increase, citing cruise lines increasing routes to Cuba and several airlines expanding their service there.

Cuba has a long way to go before it’s suitable for many high-maintenance American tourists.

American tourists expect that cell phones will work, credit cards will work, and that access to internet won’t be limited. These expectations with the monetary support American travelers provide for Cuban entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, will help foster the kind of change that will not only further increase American interest in traveling to Cuba, but also benefit the Cuban people.

CUBA: Hotel Pricing Dilema

Could anything be better than a winter getaway to Cuba, complete with a stay in one of the Caribbean island's five-star luxury hotels?

Actually, yes, say many of the tourists flocking to the Caribbean's new "it" destination, who complain the state-owned hotel industry is underwhelming and overpriced.

Tourists have been flooding Cuba ever since its historic rapprochement with the United States was announced in December 2014.

A record four million visited the communist-ruled island -- population 11 million -- last year, an increase of 13 percent from 2015.

That has sent prices soaring.

But, in a country where limited supply and years of underinvestment are hallmarks of the hotel industry, price doesn't necessarily mean quality.

Jean Orsini, a French tourist, found his room had a rust-stained shower, and spent so long waiting for his dinner that he nearly gave up.

"At the travel agency in Marseille, they told us they were sending us to the best hotel. But you pay 175 euros a night, and you just know it's not worth the price," said the 82-year-old retiree.

Spanish tourist Pilar Esteras was appalled by the staff's nonchalance at her hotel. Maria Teresa Gutierrez of Colombia had no running water at times and found her $250 a night room was less than clean.

Yet all three tourists stayed in four- and five-star hotels.

Their experiences are an indication of the industry's problems in Cuba, even though the state now co-manages many hotels with foreign companies such as Accor of France, Iberostar of Spain and Blue Diamond of Canada.

In fact, 17 private companies operate two-thirds of the hotels in Cuba.

But they have little control over things like infrastructure maintenance and the availability of good staff in a country where hospitality training is scarce and wages are meager -- less than $30 a month.

Orsini said his Cuba trip reminded him of traveling in the former Soviet Union in the 1960s.

"You spent three hours waiting to eat," he said. "Since they were state restaurants, the staff could have cared less."

In one well-known four-star hotel in Havana, the rate has risen from $110 a night to $285 in less than two years. In another, the price jumped from $90 to $202 in a year.

But if anything, surging demand has only stretched the hotels' staff and resources further.

"Cuba still hasn't managed to match the international quality standards those prices imply," said Jose Luis Perello, an industry expert at the University of Havana.

"The value-for-money issue... causes a lot of complaints," said a European hotel manager in Havana, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Some are even more blunt.

"Four-star rooms (in Cuba) are equivalent to a barely three-star hotel in Paris," said Stephane Ferrux, a Frenchman who runs a travel agency in Havana.

The tourism ministry and the army -- the sole owners of Cuba's hotels -- are aware of the threat this perception poses.

Tourism, Cuba's top industry, generated $2.8 billion in revenue last year.

But the sector faces tough competition from other Caribbean destinations such as the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic, which have more experience catering to foreign clients' expectations.

Earlier this year, Deputy Tourism Minister Mayra Alvarez pledged to "work to improve hotel infrastructure, raise facilities' standards and provide a well-trained workforce."

But she announced no specific plans.

There is, however, an alternative to state hotels.

Since 1997, the communist government has allowed private citizens to host tourists in their homes -- so-called "casas particulares."

Today they account for 16,000 of Cuba's 70,000 hotel rooms -- with an average rate of $30 a night.

Some luxury "casas" have even opened recently, offering guests newly renovated quarters in sumptuous colonial-era residences.

But don't look there for bargains -- the best are often full, and charge upwards of $500 a night.

CUBA: Cuba Tourism In For Change

United States started scheduled commercial flights to Havana this week, the first set of regular trips that are expected to drive up costs for Canadians vacationing in Cuba.

Canadians have increasingly been spending more to visit the island as resorts switched pricing to U.S. dollars in preparation for a flood of American tourists.

“The tour operators, hotels changed their pricing last year at the start of the winter season, just over a year ago,” said Allison Wallace, spokeswoman for Flight Centre Travel Group. “Prices have gone up by approximately 15 per cent to 20 per cent based on the currency difference,” she said.

Although President Barack Obama has taken steps to improve relations with the communist country – reopening the U.S. embassy in Cuba and easing some travel restrictions – it is unknown whether U.S. president-elect Donald Trump will overturn the Obama administration’s policies. So far, his rhetoric suggests a more hostile relationship.

“If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole, I will terminate deal,” Mr. Trump said in a tweet after the death of former Cuban president Fidel Castro.

Ms. Wallace said that if Mr. Trump reverses U.S. policy, “it will effectively be good news for Canadians as it will mean a lack of competition. Less demand equals better availability and pricing.”

Travel company Transat AT, which has been active in Cuba for about three decades, said it is too early to say how the direct flights between the United States and Cuba would affect costs. But the company did say it has also seen higher prices for some hotels because of the increased demand.

A good chunk of that demand came from Canadians. More than 1.3 million Canadians travelled to Cuba in 2015, a 10-per-cent jump over the previous year, according to the Cuban government.

Canadians now make up 40 per cent of Cuba’s visitors, dwarfing all other countries.

“If you combine all of Europe, it doesn’t equal Canada,” said Eloy Govea, director with the Cuba Tourist Board in Canada. “Every single year, we have seen an increase in the number of arrivals from Canada.”

Regardless of the top Canadian vacation spot, few Canadian businesses are involved in the country’s tourism infrastructure.

“Cubans would say ‘we are mystified’” about the lack of direct investment, said Mark Entwistle, a former ambassador to Cuba.

Mr. Entwistle, who now advises U.S. and Canadian firms hoping to do business in Cuba, recalls his conversations with Cuban tourism officials this way: “We love you, Canada. You have these assets. You can come through any door and Cuba will receive you. But where are your hotel companies, where are your hotel developers, where are your investors?”

CUBA: Finding An Empty Hotel Room In Cuba Is Difficult

Cuba's tourism boom continues at a record pace but is expected to cool off during 2016 with the government forecasting nearly 6 percent growth this year after a 17 percent increase in 2015.

Amid the international buzz surrounding the country's detente with the United States, Cuba received a record 3.5 million visitors in 2015, then set another record for any single month in January 2016, officials said.

The influx has pushed capacity to the limit and forced many tourists to scramble for hotel rooms, raising questions about how Cuba will absorb additional visitors when scheduled U.S. commercial airline service starts this year.

The Communist government is rushing to increase hotel capacity in the capital Havana and the beach resort Varadero, the two markets under the most strain, said Dalila Gonzalez, deputy director of marketing for the Tourism Ministry.

Cuba has forecast 200,000 additional visitors this year, or 3.7 million total, which would be less than a 6 percent increase, Gonzalez said.

The January record of 417,764 visitors was up 12.7 percent from a year earlier.

"One of our priorities for this year is the construction of four- and five-star hotels, especially five-star hotels," Gonzalez told Reuters. "All you have to do is walk the streets of Old Havana to see a lot of construction under way."

Projects remain months or years from completion, meaning the hotel crunch is likely to continue, especially during the high season from November to March.

The Manzana de Gomez, an ornate building being converted into a luxury hotel, is due for completion by early 2017. It is a joint venture between the venerable Swiss chain Kempinski and the Cuban state tourism company Gaviota.

Construction recently began on a Sofitel luxury hotel on a prime parcel fronting Havana's famous malecon, or boardwalk. Refurbishing of out-of-commission rooms in aging hotels is also under way.

Occupancy rates at four- and five-star hotels in Havana and Varadero surpassed 80 percent last year, Gonzalez said, a figure that includes the low season.

Because Americans are still banned from tourism under the U.S. trade embargo and only allowed on officially sanctioned visits, Americans concentrate in the capital rather than at forbidden beach resorts. That makes finding a hotel in Havana during the high season a challenge.

American visits last year rose 77 percent to 161,000, not counting hundreds of thousands of Cuban-Americans, and Gonzalez said a similar percentage increase was possible in 2016.

CUBA: Boost In Tourism With Beijing-Havana Flights

Cuban officials are anticipating a boost in tourism when direct flights begin between Beijing, China and Havana, later this year.

Cuba’s deputy Tourism Minister Mayra Alvarez says the flights, scheduled to begin on December 27, will lead to the increase of Chinese tourists to Cuba, Latin American and the Caribbean.

Alvarez, who recently participated in an Air China promotional event, said China is the 17th major source of visitors to her country.

Meanwhile, Air China’s marketing manager He Zhigang announced that the first direct flight to Havana will make a technical stop-over in Montreal before arriving here next month.

The direct connection, which will use a Boeing 777-300ER three times a week, will be key to promoting Chinese tourism to Havana, Alvarez noted.
According to official statistics, over 22,000 Chinese tourists travelled to Cuba between January to November 2014.

CUBA: The 4 Scams That Con Artists Use To Cheat Tourists In Cuba

By the time I realized I’d been conned, it was too late.

I was sitting in a shabby bar in Havana, with two locals I’d just met, who seemed friendly at first but turned out to be like the Cuban version of Will Smith and Margot Robbie in con-artist movie “Focus.”

It seemed innocent to begin with. A young couple that looked about the same age as my partner and I struck up a conversation with us on the street. They must have known Australians feel downright rude refusing an invitation to go for a drink, because the next minute they were leading the way to a bar where they said they would tell us about some local places where we could see live music that night.

We said we’d shout them a drink in exchange for the insider knowledge.

When we got to the bar the guy — let’s call him Will Smith — suggested we order a round of mojitos. Ever the budget-conscious traveller, I asked how much they cost. “It’s very cheap here, don’t worry,” Will insisted as Margot nodded. My request to the waiter for a menu went unanswered.

By the time I realized I’d been conned, it was too late.

I was sitting in a shabby bar in Havana, with two locals I’d just met, who seemed friendly at first but turned out to be like the Cuban version of Will Smith and Margot Robbie in con-artist movie “Focus.”

It seemed innocent to begin with. A young couple that looked about the same age as my partner and I struck up a conversation with us on the street. They must have known Australians feel downright rude refusing an invitation to go for a drink, because the next minute they were leading the way to a bar where they said they would tell us about some local places where we could see live music that night.

We said we’d shout them a drink in exchange for the insider knowledge.

When we got to the bar the guy — let’s call him Will Smith — suggested we order a round of mojitos. Ever the budget-conscious traveller, I asked how much they cost. “It’s very cheap here, don’t worry,” Will insisted as Margot nodded. My request to the waiter for a menu went unanswered.

When the bill came, each cocktail had been charged at $5 CUC (the Cuban Convertible Peso) which is worth around the same as the US dollar. It was outrageously expensive for a dive bar in a rundown part of town — even the bars in the top hotels don’t charge much more than that.

A $20 CUC drinks bill (around AUD $28) wasn’t a trip-ruining amount of money. But as Will and the waiter stole glances at each other as I put the money on the table, I had the feeling I’d been played.

And as it turned out, the “secret bars” Will and Margot recommended turned out to be the biggest tourist traps in Havana.

Travel safety expert Phil Sylvester from TID says the bar-tab ruse is a common tourist scam in Cuba and other countries.

He says it’s important to remember that anyone who approaches you with an offer of help most likely has a vested interest. “When was the last time you walked up to a tourist in your hometown and tried to press some service on them?” he points out.

The best way to avoid being scammed is to ignore touts on the street, or politely decline their offers. “Be firm, but there’s no need to be rude. Unreasonable confrontation could escalate the situation into something more dangerous.”

He also advises reading up on common tourist scams, because they often follow a similar formula.

Here are the four cons you’re likely to come across in Cuba:
1. The milk powder scam

The scammer will approach a tourist and ask them to buy a bag of milk powder for them from a nearby store. After the tourist has paid for it and left, the local and the store owner split the money, and the bag goes back on the shelf ready for the next unsuspecting person.
2. The money-changing scam

This scam banks on tourists getting mixed up about the two different currencies in Cuba: the CUC, which is what tourists use for most transactions, and the national peso (CUP), which is worth 1/24th of a CUC.

The scammer will offer to change a tourist’s money at the Casa de Cambia (house of change), saying that as a local they get a better exchange rate. They then give the tourist back CUP, not CUC. Always check that you get your change back in the right currency after making a purchase.
3. The cigar scam

Only ever buy cigars from official stores (called La Casa de Habanos) otherwise they’re certain to be fake. There are several legitimate stores in Havana, Trinidad, and other centers around the country. You’ll get plenty of offers from people on the street trying to sell you “real” cigars for discount prices. You know the old adage: If it seems too good to be true …
4. The casa scam

It’s common for tourists to stay in “casa particulars” — rooms inside or connected to a family home. Outside airports and bus stations there are often locals who want to show you to their casa in the hope you’ll stay.

Usually these offers are legitimate, but scammers have been known to take tourists to a house that’s not theirs, and then demand a finder’s fee from the homeowner for bringing you there. The real casa owner is then forced to pass this fee onto you, pushing up the price of your accommodation.

CUBA: Health Tourism In Cuba

Cuba has an excellent health system, with institutions that provide specific medical treatments, so health tourism in the Caribbean Island meets the needs of the most demanding clients regarding physical and mental recuperation.

The efficiency of Cuba's health strategy is backed up by health indicators that can be compared to those reported by developed countries, including a life expectancy of 73 years and an infant mortality rate that is among the lowest in the world, in addition to a low rate of maternal deaths.

Cuba's primary health care system reaches every corner of the Caribbean Island, where the latest breakthroughs in the field of medicine are applied by highly-trained experts at medical institutions throughout the country.

The national health system is in conditions to treat diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, and has designed a comprehensive immunization program using vaccines developed at Cuban research institutions.

Excellent programs and unique techniques attract visitors who stay at medical facilities where they receive treatment against ophthalmologic ailments, or a cure for skin diseases such as vitiligo.

Drug addicts and alcoholics, many of whom have been declared a lost case in their countries of origin, find a cure to their problems in Cuba, in a natural, pleasant and tranquil environment that greatly contributes to therapy.

Histotherapy Center,Rehabilitation exercises,Neurological Restoration Center can all be found in Cuba.

Moreover, patients receive an excellent personalized treatment by Cuban professionals at the Island's medical institutions, where they can find a cure for several diseases.

Tourists can choose from a wide range of health services to lose weight, and fight stress and aging, in addition to regular medical checkups.

Cuba's natural conditions also contribute to the development of health tourism, since many of its natural treasures complement medical treatments.

In today's world, where people lead a very busy life, a pause to get close to nature and spirituality is always welcomed, especially when conditions exist to reestablish balance and meet new challenges.

In addition to those interested in Cuba's sunshine and white-sand, warm water beaches, thousands of tourists visit the Caribbean Island every year to benefit from programs that will help them to recuperate their health.

The development of tourism in Cuba, which benefits from a privileged geographical location, hundreds of kilometers of excellent beaches and a nearly pristine natural environment, is complemented by actions to improve the quality of life.