A Special Way to Get to Know Cuba

Given its customized style to cater to trippers and organize travel to the island, Guama Havanatur has been for years reeling in a large chunk of all people attending the Habano Festival in Havana, a very demanding event due to the number of participants and its active schedule.

On this particular topic, Excelencias talked with Ivonne Carballo at FITUR –Madrid’s grand tourism marketplace– held last month. “Yes, for quite some time now we’ve been working on that event of the Habano, that in the case of Spain it generates a lot of work and has been a very positive experience for all of us.” Guama is turning 30 years in the business and is part of the Grupo Internacional de Turoperadores y Agencias de Viajes Havanatur, S.A., largely recognized in Europe and Latin America as it rakes in a big share of Cuba’s major tourist inflows. “We’re precisely at FITUR in search of possibilities to enhance that participation and we’ve contacted companies and travel agencies interested in working on our destination, in establishing ties with us, not only from Spain, but also from such locations as Northern Africa, specialized tourism, honeymoon trips, family packages, customized trips, group incentives, I mean, a multitude of variants. “Due to the world crisis,” Ivonne goes on to say, “Guama has been overhauling its product portfolio. As we speak, we’re considering trips to support Hoteles con Encanto (Charming Hotels) –a line of accommodation that has been growing lately in Cuba with heritage, small-scale lodgings outfitted with customized conveniences and generally located in the cities’ historic centers or cores. But we’re also working on health tourism offers and accommodation in hotels with royal floors, just in an effort to wink at high-end guests who prefer customized services. “We have programs especially designed for newlyweds and honeymooners that bank on facilities in Havana, their infrastructures and traditional heritage locations. And there are variants in that same niche in which romance is linked not only to beaches and offshore keys, but also to strolls down historic cities and natural sightseeing sites. So, that’s actually a very assorted offer. “Furthermore, we’re developing a very special package to know Cuba on your own stride, based on a customized design for each and every customer, yet from the company’s basic platform and in that sense we’ll continue adding our own Islazul hotel offers, which are scattered all across the island nation and pretty much on the rise right now in terms of services, as well as some of the finest lodgings in all major destinations around Cuba. “All this much,” she concluded, “has demanded from us an overhaul of our strategies as a company and the introduction of cutting-edge technologies and more advanced methods, but without downplaying the value of customized services, which is the name of the game for Havanatur”.

HAVANATUR Calle 3ra y 74, Miramar Havana, Cuba

www.havanatur.cu