Organizers of Cuba's 22nd Tourism Convention –recently held from May 6 through 10 in Varadero Beach- believe the upshots couldn't be any better as all goals were achieved.

Some of the interesting topics dealt with in meetings among tour operators, travel agents, airlines and investors had to do with the branching process of tourist offers and higher occupancy rates during the course of low-peak seasons.

As far as presentations were concerned, the new kid in town was just the long-stay product. However, participants pointed unanimously to both the quality and diversification shown by products marketed by Gran Caribe, Cubatur, Sol Meliá, Horizontes, Cubanacan, Rumbos, Gaviota, Complejo Las Terrazas, among other firms.

Breaking into a brand-new format, this year's convention made plenty of room for negotiations and bilateral meetings that allowed the inking of major contracts, the bargaining of offers, and the assessment of joint marketing proposals between tour operators from different countries and Cuba-based companies. A case in point: the contract signed between Spanish companies Mundicolor, Travelplan and Corte Inglés; the one reached between Germany's Tui and Thomas Cook, and Canadian firms Conquest and TMR.

The occasion was equally traded on by Cuba's minister of tourism Ibrahim Ferradaz, who held talks with U.S. tour operators and travel agents currently working with Havanatur.

Celebrations to mark the 30th anniversary of the first-ever tourist flight from Canada to Cuba, the participation of a major group of Brazilian tour operators, and the signing of different agreements –let alone a significant number of masterful lectures delivered within the framework of the meeting- wrapped up a four-day event that this time around shed light on Cuba, and especially Varadero, as tourist destinations. A grand total of 2,344 delegates from 55 countries attended the convention.

Number of countries and attendants to the Convention

Countries:55

Attendants: (2002) 2 344 (2001) 2 867 Cubans (2002) 1 199 (2001) 1 862 Foreigners (2002) 1 145 (2001) 1 005

Major Agreements

. Cubana de Aviacion and HORIZONTES . The Convention Bureau and Cubanacan . Cuba's Ministry of Public Health and Cubanacan . Palmares ande Iberia . Palmares and Panama City . Palmares and Cubana de Aviacion

PRIZES

Best exhibits at the 22nd International Tourism Convention in 2002

Grand Prize Horizontes Hotels First Prize Sol Meliá Second Prizes Transtur and Gran Caribe Third Prize CIMEX and Gaviota

Acknowledgements to tour operators, airlines and travel agencies

Travel Agencies Thomas Cook and FTI-TUI, both from Germany Vacances Air and Transac, Nalg Itours, Mont-Royal, from Canada Club Med from France

Airlines Air Transat (Canada) Iberia (Spain) Air France Condor (Germany) Copa (Panama)

Specialized Travel Agencies Estancia Francia (hunting and fishing) Nautilus (scuba diving), Germany Cuba y Autrement (cultural tourism), France Explore World Wide (ecological tourism), Great Britain