By Mercy Ramos
The Canadian market is advancing, recovering, and has been growing in recent months. It is a very loyal market, but with loyal markets, as with all our clients, we must provide the quality they expect, and I believe that is the result achieved, stated Cuba’s Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda.
In a brief interview with the press at the conclusion of the 15th Varadero Gourmet International Festival, García Granda answered some questions and emphasized that the sector is working towards improving the quality of services, and that this is the approach for the upcoming winter. “After tourism has created the conditions to guarantee the necessary resources to ensure these quality standards, the proof will be that we will continue to grow,” he said.
On this topic, he added: “We have gone through a complicated situation these past days, but I think we have sent a message to the world by holding this event with quality, which has demonstrated that tourism is prepared for emergency situations; that it has workers, conditions, and technology for that. It is a design, from the beginning, of our Commander in Chief (Fidel Castro). We have explained it in recent times, and here are the results.”
Referring to the recently concluded 15th Festival, he considered that “I believe it had very good participation in its 15th anniversary. That is, we have been holding this event for 15 years, whose main objective is the training of sector workers, and as you can see, international speakers have been incorporated, with participation from 47 foreigners, which truly demonstrates that the event is consolidating and continues to consolidate, and that we have much to bet on.”
“Our Cuban cuisine is reflected in books and many articles. It has international recognition, just like our cocktail culture. There is no bar in the world that does not have a Cuban cocktail, and there is no cuisine in the world that does not enjoy a combination of our food. What is the difference? Well, the objective of this event precisely is to mark that difference, to truly have the flavor and aroma of what we eat at home, which is truly the good, the tasty, the really enjoyable,” he opined.
Returning to the topic of tourism, the sector head expressed that “tourism is not what you promise, but what you achieve. You have to achieve it, demonstrate it, consolidate it to regain that trust in all tour operators, in all our clients, in our entire market. I truly believe this was done in the winter and is the result of the growth in the summer. I insist, it’s not that I want to really differentiate it, everyone knows under what conditions we do tourism, in the media war that exists, in a ruthless war.”
“Recently,” he continued, “I saw on television when it was explained that the markets of our competition, their main market is the North American market, in which we do not have access to our natural, ideal market. But what no one will take away from us is the hope, the desire to fight, and always, without being utopian... and I know that in today’s world, currently, there are actors who believe it needs to be enriched with a bit of utopia. But really, seeing and working intensively, I believe results are being shown, and we think the winter will be much better than what we have had.”
“Some will be happy, many others will not see it well, but we work for it, we work for our people, for the development of our tourism, and therefore, if we dream and if we have a true interest in this country advancing and progressing and we know the responsibility, I insist, that we have in developing the Cuban economy,” he finally emphasized.
The recently concluded 15th Varadero Gourmet International Festival took place over three days at the Plaza América Convention Center, with the central theme: “Flavors Without Borders. The Magic of Fusion Cuisine with a Cuban Soul.” It was organized by the Palmares S.A. Extra-Hotel Company, with the support of the Ministry of Tourism and the CubaSOL group.