Cancun, March 26: Cuba could host up to one million US tourists in the first year its northern neighbour lifted restrictions on travel to the Communist island, Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero has said.
“We can guarantee what’s necessary for quality operations and our investments are increasing to improve comfort,” Marrero said at a two-day meeting between Cuban tourism officials and scores of US tour operators in Cancun, Mexico.
Cuba received around 2.5 million tourists last year, mainly from Canada, Europe and Asia, according to Marrero.
The Cancun meeting aimed to discuss potential projects should the US travel ban be lifted — a move that would “benefit the interests and citizens of the US”, he said.
The gathering came amid heated US debate on the issue.
With Cuba having receded as a Cold War security threat, the country’s human rights record is now at the centre of US policy toward the Caribbean island.
US President Barack Obama on Wednesday slammed Cuba for its continued political and human rights repression and called for an end to the Communist regime’s “clenched fist” policy against its own people.
–PTI