Cuba's tourism industry is gearing up for a growing influx of Chinese tourists after the Cuban government announced on Saturday that it would adopt a visa-free policy for Chinese citizens holding ordinary passports, starting this month.
The announcement was made by Tourism Minister Juan Carlos Garcia during the 42nd Cuban International Tourism Fair (FITCuba 2024), which was held in the seaside resort of Cayo Coco in the province of Ciego de Avila.
According to reports, within half an hour after the announcement of the visa-free policy, the real-time search volume of Cuban hotels and flights on Chinese travel service platforms increased by over 40 percent compared to the previous day.
With rich cultural heritages, historic cities such as Havana and Santiago plus beautiful beaches, the Caribbean country is an ideal vacation destination.
"While I was traveling in the past few days, I saw the news on my smartphone. The visa-free policy will bring more convenience to Chinese tourists. The active mutual exchanges will surely boost tourism and contribute to the economic development of Cuba," said Guan Yue, a Chinese tourist.
The Cuban Ministry of Tourism is upbeat about the Chinese tourism market and engaged intense consultations with Chinese travel agencies and airlines, aiming to attract more Chinese tourists.
"This is very beneficial for us. First, the two countries enjoy close diplomatic relations like brothers. Chinese tourists also hold a prestigious position in the global tourism market. Currently, the Chinese tourism market ranks among the top 20 in Cuba, and we expect its ranking to reach the top five. Let's wait and see," said Elizabeth Vela Jaime, a Tourism Counselor for the Asia-Pacific region under the Cuban Ministry of Tourism.
Ariel Lorenzo Rodriguez, director of the Department of Asia and Oceania at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, said the specific details of the visa-free policy are in the pipeline and are expected to officially take effect soon.
"The decision to implement the visa-free policy aims to continuously foster friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries. Of course, this decision will also be beneficial for the exchanges between the people of both nations and contribute to the development of Cuba's tourism industry," added Ariel Lorenzo Rodriguez.
As of April 26, Cuba has received more than 1 million international tourists this year, according to data from the Cuban Ministry of Tourism.
The Cuban government expects to receive 3.5 million international tourists in 2024.
Cuba eager to see growing influx of Chinese visitors driven by visa-free travel
The ongoing 8th China-Russia Expo in Harbin City of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province is bringing new opportunities to businesses from both sides.
The event, taking place from May 16 to 21, has attracted nearly 200 Chinese companies and 170 Russian firms to present more than 5,000 products in over 20 major categories from 10 sectors at the exhibition area, which spans 388,000 square meters.
The expo is attended by representatives from 16 Russian federal entities, including Moscow, Kamchatka, Arkhangelsk and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
"The Republic of Sakha has been participating in the Russia-China Expo from the very beginning. Our relations with China, in particular with the province of Heilongjiang, are already more than 20 years old. Today, we are presenting investment projects at the Russia-China Expo in Harbin City in the fields of industry, tourism, science and mining. You can see them here, in the pavilion of our republic," Yuliana Diryakhova, deputy general director of the Agency for Attracting Investments and Supporting Exports of the Republic of Sakha.
"Our company is participating in the China-Russia Expo for the first time, and we are lucky that this 8th edition is the largest. We brought many of our star products such as live king crabs and prepared frozen products. Our products have been popular both in Russia and in the Chinese market due to the reputation of good quality and the big size of our company in the industry," said Shen Yingjie, head of the Shanghai Representative Office of Russian Crab Group of Companies.
In addition to products, the Expo is also showcasing artworks at booths like the Russian "Cultural Cluster".
"I'm participating in the Harbin Expo for the third time. The first time was in 2017. Actually, the paintings that I brought this time are all at my booth. For example, here is a new work from the series - I have a series of iris - so I made a new work for this series. Actually, at this exhibition, I expect to find new partners, new friends, and get new pleasant impressions," said Vasily Matyukhin, a Russian artist.
Since its inception in 2014, the expo has attracted more than 7,200 Chinese and Russian enterprises, as well as over 1.05 million merchants, facilitating contracts totaling 446.8 billion yuan (about 63 billion U.S. dollars) in value.
In the meantime, countless consumers have expanded their choice of available goods and services thanks to the event.
"I come to the exhibition every year, as I live in Harbin. The Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair has been held for many years. This year, the China-Russia Expo is held simultaneously, attracting more visitors. At the exhibition, you can see many Russian products, as well as products from Heilongjiang and other Chinese provinces," said a visitor.
The Expo will last until May 21. This year, it is part of the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia.
The event serves as a platform to highlight Russia's socio-economic development, investment opportunities, cooperative projects, quality products and distinctive cultural elements.
In 2023, trade between China and Russia reached 240.1 billion U.S. dollars, achieving an established trade target of 200 billion U.S. dollars ahead of schedule. In the first quarter of 2024, bilateral trade amounted to 56.68 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 5.2 percent.
China-Russia expo brings new opportunities to both countries
