Conservation is proving to be a valuable source of common ground between the U.S. and Cuba. When Barack Obama became the first president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge, his visit highlighted not only a new course in international relations, but showcased on-going scientific collaboration with the island nation just 90 miles off the Florida … Read more
Royal Caribbean has announced an expansion of its cruises to Cuba on Empress of the Seas with 58 cruises of 4- and 5-night itineraries from January 2018 through March 2019, more than half offering overnight stays. The announcement adds to a chorus of cruise companies plying Cuba’s waters in search of the newest cruise novelty … Read more
In what is likely a breach of Australian guidelines for advertising and marketing towards children, Facebook denied and then apologized for revelations about its marketing plans to sell advertising to vulnerable youths who “need a confidence boost.” The Australian obtained internal documents from the social media giant which reportedly show how Facebook can exploit the … Read more
Google has announced a new digital resource to help Cubans access digital health information. According to the internet giant, it wants to deliver reliable, quality health information directly to Google Search. Google search results will show information on more than 900 health conditions commonly sought in several Latin American countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Cuba, Colombia, … Read more
U.S.-Cuba collaboration around music continues to grow. The Chicago Harp Quartet (CHQ) will be spending a weeklong residency from May 29-June 4 in Cuba. The island nation, a country of 11 million people, today has only one harp teacher and only four pedal harps, and those are in disrepair. It’s not every day that the … Read more
One of Cuba’s most esteemed cigars began with a puppet comedy show. It was the middle of the 19th century when Don Manuel Lopez of Juan Valle & Co, seeking to capitalize on the thriving British cigar market, named a new brand after Mr Punch, the famous puppet of “Punch and Judy” fame. Today, one of … 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
From August 20, 2017–January 7, 2018, Hollywood in Havana: Five Decades of Cuban Posters Promoting U.S. Films, will be on display at the Pasadena Museum of California Art (PMCA). The exhibit assembles approximately 40 Cuban posters publicizing Hollywood films from the 1960s to 2009 including some iconic names like Marylin Monroe and Alfred Hitchcock. Astonishing … Read more
Airbnb and Hearst have been developing a print travel magazine concept for a year, and on May 23rd the first issue will hit the stands with Havana as the feature. Airbnbmag is part guidebook and part travel magazine. According to reports, it is targeted to adventurous travelers, rather than luxury-focused editorial common with other travel … Read more
Today, Meliá Hotels announced an important expansion plan in Cuba. The Spanish hotel company’s plans include new hotels in three regional cities with historic significance and colonial origins. Trinidad and Camagüey (two of the first seven villages built in Cuba between 1511 and 1515) and the French, neoclassical city of Cienfuegos, the Pearl of the … Read more
