Cuba is continuing its Wi-Fi expansion. The country’s state-owned telecom company, ETECSA, has announced its plans to install 80 new “zones” of Wi-Fi connection. Ernesto Rodriguez Hernandez, Director of Computing within the Ministry of Communications, says that the new areas are being developed with a more “comprehensive” approach, after taking advisement from territorial governments which … Read more
By the Cuba Journal staff Hemingway’s history in Cuba is enormous; in many ways, no one understood the soul of Cuba better than Papa. And now a new project is looking to capture and treasure Cuba’s Hemingway connection, with help from U.S. heavy equipment giant Caterpillar. The company’s foundation has announced a $500,000 donation to … Read more
The first direct mail from the US to Cuba has officially arrived at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba’s government confirmed. The shipment represents the first steps of a pilot program announced in December 2015. The mail shipment was the first direct mail to arrive in Cuba in more than half a century. For … Read more
The Cuban port of Santiago de Cuba is looking for a big cruise season this year, according to officials. Santiago de Cuba, one of Cuba’s tourism centers, reports that it is expecting a busy cruise year, with 24 berths planned from now until April. The German cruise ship Amadea anchored this week in the port … Read more
By Alexander Britell It’s time for US hotels to start operating in Cuba. That’s the view of Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who is calling on the US Departments of Treasury and Commerce to allow American hotels to operate in Cuba. In a letter to Treasure and Commerce Secretaries Jack Lew and Penny Pritzker, respectively, Klobuchar … Read more
Beyoncé and Jay-Z caused quite the uproar when they made their visit to Cuba back in 2013. Looking back, though, the two were pioneers for what is now the island’s tourism rebirth — a year and a half later, Cuba and the US had begun the process of normalization. So where did they go on their … Read more
It was the largest pop concert in Havana in recent memory, with electronic dance music supergroup Major Lazer and Diplo rocking Havana’s Jose Marti Anti-Imperialist Plaform. The concert, called “Peace is the Mission,” reportedly drew almost half a million people to the free concert in the center of Havana. Major Lazer is a supergroup including … Read more
Will they bear fruit? Will Cuba’s big biotech plans bear fruit? The Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIBG) in Havana is promoting more than 50 research and development projects in the areas of health, agriculture, and the environment, Cuba’s government said this week. The projects span across a variety of disciplines, including human and … Read more
JetBlue is one step closer to launching regularl-scheduled flights to Cuba. And it could happen by September. JetBlue submitted its application to the US Department of Transportation for commercial air flights on a host of flights to Cuba. The carrier has proposed 15 daily frequencies, connecting four Cuba cities with 6 US cities. “JetBlue is the … Read more
Since the 2014 US-Cuba rapprochement, finding a hotel room in Cuba hasn’t just been hard — it’s been nigh impossible. But there are other ways to find a place to stay in Cuba, beyond tour operators, local agencies and, of course, Airbnb. But now another major hospitality player has joined the fray. Enter Homestay.com, which … Read more
