North American visits are on the rise to the lovely island of Cuba. With the anticipation of relaxed barriers of trade and travel on travellers’ minds, this destination is becoming quite sought after.
Recently the US administrators have allowed visits by their nationals if they meet certain criteria to qualify for flying to Cuba: If they have close relatives in Cuba; if they wish to conduct business in the medical or agricultural sectors or; if they wish to travel for educational or religous purposes. Visitors can now fly from Tampa, Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, New Orleans, Chicago, Pittsburg, and Puerto Rico. This is in addition to airports that currently have flights leaving their terminals to Cuba – New York, Miami and Los Angelos.
Not to be left out, several ferry operators out of Tampa and Florida have filed for permission to offer services between America and Cuba. They say it is an awaiting niche market which can provide much needed jobs to their citizens as well as offer passengers many advantages such as cheaper fares and the ability to take much more luggage and goods on board for their families back in Cuba.
In 2010, Cuban tourism grew some 4 percent when 2.5 million people visited Cuba. Canadian visitors lead the way by leaps and bounds. Canadian airlines such as Air Canada, Westjet and Sunwing Air Lines fly from Canada to approximately ten Cuban tourist centres like the famous Varadero resort. By the end of the year, Canadian arrivals exceeded 900k, a slight increase from the previous year by that date and it is showing continuous growth in the last few years. Advertising in Canada is also on the upswing with radio, TV and signage being at an all-time high. The pull of Cuba is due to it’s still unspoilt heritage, rich culture and breathtaking resorts.
It seems that their is a slow transition from the once off limits Cuba. The country is moving towards being a top Caribbean destination once more.
Barbados = True Caribbean hospitality
For those of us that have frequented or been fortunate to travel for a Caribbean Holiday to the island of Barbados you will be nodding your heads right now when you see our post’s topic. For those that have not visited as yet, don’t worry, there is plenty hospitality for everyone!
Barbados has become one of the world’s premier destinations. But what has been some of the fundamentals that have niched this most easterly isle of the Caribbean archipelagos and made it able to compete against all of the tourism world’s heavy hitters?
Sure marketing does a lot; package deals; great accommodations for all income brackets; a nice big airport and long runway; lovely seas, sands and climate. But what separates Barbados? We say that without excellent people in your model all of the other factors can result in nothing.
At an early age, people in Barbados recognize the importance of their visitor. Trust us when we say, almost everyone here is an ambassador to this nation. Locals are referred to as “Bajans” and they are a proud folk. Proud of what an excellent vehicle of service they have created, sustained and continued to maintain to this day.
Most Bajans have some link to the service industry and know well that this is the heartbeat to their country. The government provides stable and excellent leadership on all fronts and this vision is effectively shared by all of society.
Lost in Bridgetown, ask any local and you most likely will get led to your destination even if that person was going the opposite way! On the unlikely occasion you are harassed or overly touted by someone, other locals may pull them up and apologize for any undue behavior.
Hospitality in Barbados therefore does not reside just within the walls of your chosen abode or where they are after your money or hoping for a fat tip. Here it is real and they are the real deal in getting you here again.
Our recommendation? Try Barbados, see for yourself. It is not remiss of us to say that many other Caribbean islands can follow example of just what makes a perfect tourism model – your people, all the people, not just some people.