They recalled that the Chinese group arrived on Tuesday and is on vacations in Cuba, after last February’s authorization for Chinese travelers to go on international vacations, a measure that was interrupted in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A report from Xinhua news agency emphasized that early this year, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China launched a pilot program to reactivate group travels to 20 destinations, including Cuba.

One of the travelers, Huo Yaofei, upon arriving in Havana from Beijing, said that Cuba has many good things, it is a legend, it is unique, the best music, dance, food, tobacco, rum, everything.

Huo is known in Cuba as David and is the promotional ambassador in China for the Cuba Unica campaign, an initiative by the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) to show the world the Caribbean island’s wealth and diversity of the Caribbean nation.

David received that distinction during the International Tourism Fair FIT Cuba 2023, to promote the benefits of Cuba’s tourism industry in his country, and is one of the 12 travelers who arrived in Havana with the Chinese tourism agency Bello International Travel & Tours Co, Limited, which has been present in the country for five years.

David, who is also an influencer, artist and dancer, said he is confident that more Chinese vacationers will come ‘to this wonderful country’ in the future.

MINTUR Advisor in Asia-Pacific Elizabeth Vela Jaime, in turn, said that Cuba aims to double the number of Chinese visitors in the short term, and in order to achieve that goal, it has increased efforts to promote Cuba’s attractions in nature tourism, culture, health care and nautical sports, among others.

From 2010 to 2019, the number of Chinese tourists who visited Cuba increased by some 23 percent every year, according to MINTUR data, which placed China among Cuba’s first 15 tourist-sending markets.

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