It is becoming widely known that the United States is the most obese country in the world. Within one generation, the U.S. body mass index (BMI) for the percentage of the population considered clinically overweight or obese has grown from 15% to 55%. Similarly, according to a leading obesity researcher, Dr. Robert Lustig, “over 40% … Read more
Launching a Cuba travel business in 2016 was not a unique concept, but the idea behind Jessi Calzado-Esponda’s dream to expose Americans to Cuba’s culture led to a growing business and a list of celebrity clients. The idea for a Cuba travel business, Cuba Inspires, came after then-president Barack Obama announced an easing of relations … Read more
According to Xinhua, China National Tobacco Corporation and Cuba’s cigar maker Habanos S.A. signed a letter of intent at the end of July to increase Cuba’s cigar exports to China. China National Tobacco Corporation General Manager Ling Chengxing and co-presidents of Habanos S.A., Inocente Nunez and Luis Sanchez-Harguindey, signed the document in Havana. According to … Read more
Economy Minister Ricardo Cabrisas stated at the opening session of Cuba’s National Assembly that the island nation’s GDP grew just more than 1% in the first six months of 2017 and is on track to achieve an estimated 2% for the full year. According to a report by AP, the rebound came despite the economic … Read more
Cuba purchased more than $5.2 billion in U.S. products from 2001 to 2015, largely agricultural products. For many of those years, the U.S. was Cuba’s largest supplier of agricultural products. U.S. exports to Cuba rose from about $7 million in 2001 to a high of $712 million in 2008, far higher than in previous years. … Read more
Meliá Hotels, the leading foreign hotel company in Cuba, and Airbnb, the U.S.-based room rental platform, are seemingly in the same business. Yet details of each company’s performance in Cuba illustrate how different they are in terms of impact on travelers – with implication for the future of the travel and tourism industry everywhere.
CIMAvax reportedly works by stimulating the body’s own immune system to attack epidermal growth factor, a naturally occurring protein that can feed cancerous tumors. Since 2011, the vaccine has been available for free to the public in Cuba. It also has been approved for use in Peru. According to media reports, the vaccine shows promise … Read more
Cuba’s potential for attracting massive investment from the hotel industry came into sharper focus last week during the South American Hospitality Investment Conference (SAHIC) held in Havana. Among the major hotel sponsors were Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Choice and Wyndham. Resilient design received much attention from the hospitality industry and Cuban leaders. As part of a … Read more
According to company reports, Meliá’s 2016 performance results in Cuba improved thanks to a 10.3% improvement in RevPAR, largely attributable to improved rates (+17.1%), especially in Santiago de Cuba and Havana. Meliá Hotels International SA specifically cited: the start of the normalization of relations between Cuba and the U.S.., the arrival from the 4th quarter … Read more
There is no other major destination in the world with visibility on 500% growth in travel and tourism other than Cuba. A recent IMF working paper, “Revisiting the Potential Impact to the Rest of the Caribbean from Opening US-Cuba Tourism”, suggests, “the apprehension of the Caribbean tourism industry towards a change in US travel policy … Read more
