Top Cuban officials reassure Canadian trade that it’s business as usual

Cuba is predicting significant growth in the Canadian market, confident that Canadians will shrug off U.S. President Donald Trump’s belligerent stance toward the Caribbean country that has raised concerns about oil supplies.

A Cuban delegation headed by Lessner Gomez, former director of the Cuba Tourist Board’s Toronto office and now director of marketing at the Cuban MInistry of Tourism’s head office in Havana, visited Toronto yesterday for a meetings blitz to reassure people that Cuban tourism is functioning normally. That followed similar meetings with tour operators earlier in the week in  Montreal.

Trump has publicly vowed that Cuba will get no more Venezuelan oil, raising fears in some quarters that the country may be headed for fuel shortages.

But Gomez told a Mississauga event Wednesday that his homeland actually receives oil from multiple countries, including Mexico, and has enough petroleum to last through the summer.

Hotels are also well supplied with the necessities to operate, he added.

“Cuba is operating normally,” he told the gathering. “It’s business as usual.”

Canadians haven’t been deterred by U.S. threats directed at Cuba, he said, reporting Canadian visitations to Cuba in early January were actually up 17% from the same period last year.

Cuba is hoping for a million Canadian visitations this year, which would be over 200,000 more than it saw last year. “We think we can reach that,” Gomez said.

Gomez also reported that there are now an average of 120 flights a week from this country to Cuba, with all Cuban airports having direct air service to this country.

The visit of the delegation — which also included Carlos Latuff, president, Gaviota Hotels, and Gipzy Hernandez, president of Cubanacan Hotels — was arranged quickly following media reports about Trump’s Cuba stance and subsequent speculation that Cuba might see fuel shortages this winter.

But Gomez insisted that that won’t be the case and “the feedback we have from clients is very good…Cuba is very resilient. We’re doing our best to spread the word that it’s business as usual…

“Cuba continues to be a safe destination with a very hospitable people. Cubans love Canadians and Canadians love Cubans.”

Meanwhile, Gomez suggested that winter-weary Canadians look to Cuba for long-stays, positioning his country as an alternative for those reluctant to visit the United States.

Gomez added that Cuba has luxury resorts, something not all Canadian travellers are aware of.

In the photo

On hand for the Cuba presentation were Gihana Galindo, director of the Cuba Tourism Board’s Toronto office; Carlos Latuff, president, Gaviota Hotels; Lessner Gomez, marketing director, Ministry of Tourism of Cuba; and Gipzy Hernandez, president, Cubanacan Hotels.