Last week in Havana, Cuba, the governments of Aruba and Cuba signed a cooperative agreement in an effort to boost both countries’ tourism sectors. Talk of such an agreement began nearly a year ago between the departments of foreign affairs of both countries, and has culminated with the signing of the memorandum and an official visit from the Minister of Tourism, Transportation, Culture and the Primary Sector for Aruba Otmar Oduber and a delegation consisting of the director of the Aruba Tourism Authority, Ronella Tjin Asjoe-Croes; director of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Edwin Abath; and advisers to the minister and executives from the Aruba Tourism Authority, among others. During the visit, the delegation spoke with the Vice Minister of Transportation for Cuba Naima Alfonso Acosta about the possibility of creating a cruise ship route between these two countries, as well as other countries in the southernmost region of the Caribbean.
The Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba is heavily reliant on tourism and officials there are hoping to grow this industry by establishing a Dual Destination Program and strengthening their of knowledge in the fields of managing cruise facilities, including marketing strategies to attract visitors. Cuban officials are also interested in an exchange of knowledge with Aruba on managing strategies and cruise facilities, as well as Aruba’s experiences with timeshare and new law proposals on accommodation management.
“Aruba sees Cuba as a new destination, despite its existence for some time now,” explained Minister Oduber at the official endorsement ceremony according to a press release statement, “and it will soon see organizational changes that will contribute to making the country a more attractive destination to explore from the U.S. market. This memorandum of understanding will align us with the new possibilities that this could bring for Aruba.” For more information, visit aruba.com.
