With surge in Cuba interest, tour operators add departures

With surge in Cuba interest, tour operators add departures
By Gay Nagle Myers / April 05, 2015

As interest in travel to Cuba surges, tour operators are adding
departures, introducing new programs and extending itineraries to keep
up with the demand.
The groundswell began with President Obama's Dec. 17 announcement that
the U.S. and Cuba planned to renew diplomatic ties and to ease travel
restrictions.
While the easing of restrictions does not allow for actual tourism, it
has become easier for Americans to visit Cuba for any of a dozen
authorized reasons without first obtaining a license from the U.S.
government.
Americans are still supposed to engage in purposeful travel with an
educational and/or cultural slant. However, they can now bring back $400
worth of souvenirs, including $100 worth of cigars and rum.
At some point, U.S. visitors will be able to swipe their credit and
debit cards, but for now, they must still carry cash.
Visitor numbers show growing demand. Cuba's overall international
visitor numbers through March 21 topped 1 million, up 14% over the same
period in 2014, according to the country's Ministry of Tourism. Visitors
from Canada, Germany, France, the U.K. and Italy led arrivals.
Although a breakdown of U.S. visitor figures was not available last
week, a ministry statement reported: "The number of U.S. visitors grew
by 29.5% in the same period, due to a more flexible interpretation of
the 12 categories for travel licenses authorized by the U.S. government,
which continues to maintain its blockade of Cuba."
Cuba welcomed 3 million visitors in 2014, a record year, which
represented a 5.3% jump over 2013. That figure did not include hundreds
of thousands of Cuban-Americans who traveled to the island to visit
relatives.
In the Caribbean region, only the Dominican Republic's 5.1 million
visitors surpassed Cuba in 2014.
While cruise arrivals are still in their infancy in Cuba, more than
3,900 passengers arrived by ship in January, according to Cuba's Office
of National Statistics.
Canada-based Cuba Cruise is marketing sea voyages directly to Americans.
Tom Popper, president of Insight Cuba, a company that has offered
people-to-people programs since 2000, said, "Demand for Cuba is spiking
beyond expectations. The cycle just keeps growing. In the three months
since the Obama announcement, we have doubled and tripled our numbers.
We do 125 to 130 group departures in a typical year; we're beyond 170
now and looking at 184 in 2016."
A key reason for that growth, he said, is that "people want to go
before it changes."
Popper was in Cuba in late February and said he had never seen Havana so
crowded.
"Hotels were full," he said. "There was excitement on the street. It was
palpable. Cubans are catching on that if they provide good service,
tourists are happy and tip."
He also saw some changes. For example, "Taxi fares have gone up. Now we
have to negotiate fares. In the past, it was a flat rate from point to
point. Restaurants were full, and reservations at the family-run
paladores were hard to come by."
Also, he said, "Hotel space and knowledgeable Cuban guides are in short
supply."
Popper said he hoped the Summit of the Americas in Panama on April 10
and 11, which Obama will attend, will result in more positive news from
the White House.
This year, travel to Cuba already has exceeded Isramworld's
expectations, according to Richard Krieger, president: "We're 20% to 30%
higher than anticipated. There's an urgency on the part of travelers to
visit before it changes, according to feedback from our clients, who
want to go before Pizza Huts are on every corner."
Isramworld is adding more departures for next fall and winter, and it is
tweaking its seven-day Hello Cuba programs to fit specific interest
groups, such as the gay community, photographers and history buffs.
When Travel Leaders Group polled several of its agents about booking
levels to Cuba, all reported an increase in demand.
Sharon Concepcion, manager of Protravel International in Miami, said,
"Most people want to know which hotel chains will be in Cuba and when
they will open. Our clients and travel advisers are curious about the
facilities, independent travel and when general tourism will really be
open."
Many travelers want to visit on their own and not go through a tour
operator.
Michelle Weller, director of operations for Travel Leaders in Houston,
said that Cuba is a topic of conversation, and clients want to go before
it is modernized, but they also want less restrictive itineraries.
"When Cuba can offer an atmosphere where Americans can hang out at
all-inclusives and smoke Cuban cigars at Ernest Hemingway haunts, you
will see a massive wave of tourists flood the country," she said.
Debby Carstensen, manager of Protravel International in Boca Raton,
Fla., agreed that "clients do not want to be held to the restrictions
that are still in place. They prefer independent travel and are not
interested in a group tour and a regimented schedule."
Group IST added more sailing dates on the Panorama this month and said
it might put on an additional small ship doing another Cuba itinerary.
"Prospects look excellent for 2016," said Naomi Kabak, IST's senior vice
president.
Earlier this year, Abercrombie & Kent announced five additional
departures on its 10-day Cuba tour and another departure on its longer
program.
"Although restrictions are being eased, travelers recognize that their
most rewarding option during the transition period is an established
people-to-people program," an A&K representative said.
Ya'lla Tours USA has seen an increase of more than 150% in demand for
Cuba, so it added departures for this fall, according to Ronen Paldi,
president.
"However, with all that tremendous demand, the infrastructure has not
changed," Paldi said. "No new hotel rooms, tour buses or tour guides."
He also noted that rates are rising: "We are seeing a price increase of
almost 40% since the beginning of the year. Travel agents need to be
prepared to pay a higher rate for any new bookings … than they paid in
2014."
Wilderness Travel has added four extra departures to its 2015 schedule,
according to Barbara Banks, director of marketing and new-trip development.
Collette offers one 10-day itinerary and manages demand by increasing
the number of departures, according to Paula Twidale, executive vice
president.
However, Craig Smith, senior director of marketing for People to People
Ambassador Programs, cautioned that "there seems to be a lot of
confusion still."
"Most of the people inquiring about our programs believe they can now
book a vacation to Cuba, which is not true," Smith said.

Source: With surge in Cuba interest, tour operators add departures:
Travel Weekly -
http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/With-surge-in-Cuba-interest-tour-operators-add-departures