Juan José Vega. Cubanacan President
Grupo Cubanacán covers a broad line of tourist products in Cuba; From1987 it has accumulated professionalism, dynamism and diversifying its products.
Could you refer to the variety of lines and products that Cubanacán offers? Cubanacán is a diversified group, composed of companies that represent the most complete tourist offer in the country, including hotels, restaurants, night clubs and cabarets, health and rehabilitation centers, retailers, car rentals, bus services, transfers and taxis, sports and recreation, marina, diving centers and nautical activities. The main coordination of the offer is carries out by Cubanacán Viajes. Also, our success is supported and supplemented by a maintenance and construction company, a publicity agency, an international law office and a general services company, among others. As tourism in Cuba grows, the demands for services, options and offers also grow. What has been the response of Grupo Cubanacán to this quick development of the Cuban tourist industry? Cubanacán has been a main character in the development of the tourist industry in Cuba. We began to operate in the year 1987 with around 800 rooms in the east of the country, and today we have more than 12 thousand in the main tourist clusters. We are a Group formed by fifteen companies 100% owned, 23 joint ventures, thirteen representative offices abroad, as well as eight representation, attendance and cooperation contracts in different countries of Latin America and Europe.His is the reason why it now has a highly qualified personnel, able to satisfy our clients’ needs with professionalism. What does Cubanacán contribute to the economic development of the country? Cubanacán has a 40% participation in the Cuban tourist market. Tourism has been responsible for the creation of a hotel and extra-hotel network that has created many new jobs. More than 28 thousand workers in the whole country work in facilities belonging to Grupo Cubanacán. Grupo Cubanacán already has an impressive track record, for that reason it surely must also have new plans. Could you tell us about them? In the next few years, Cubanacán plans to continue working on the traditional markets, to increase them in the Southern Cone and to develop other new ones, as is the case in Asia and within it, Japan. To diversify the product of sun and beach with the incorporation of cultural and historical values, depending on the cluster; and to enlarge the extra-hotel services abroad and in Cuba, prioritizing inside the country the parks, marinas and quality of life centers. What expectations does it bring to the Tourism Convention Cuba 2001? Will it offer new products? To multiply touristic operations is a permanent objective of Grupo Cubanacán. We consider that in this Tourism Convention Cuba 2001, the strategy to reach this objective will focus on holding conversations with the turoperators, with the purpose of having those groups, together with the airlines, reestablish and multiply the connections toward our country, emphasis will be made on the tourist clusters of the east of the Island that are the least visited at the present. Another objective is to pay more attention to the commercialization of individual, events and incentives tourism and specialized tourism in general. To increase our operations in developing markets like Russia, Poland and Japan, countries where Cubanacán already has a representative offices, is also part of our plans. In this Convention we will present new products that broaden our portfolio: new brands of Hotels: Boutique and Carrousel; nature as a product in the eastern part of the country,new multi-destination programs and new incentive programs.