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Year 10 Vol. 1, Issue 158 Directory
Jose-Manuel GARCIA, CDS jmgarcia@ividmc.travel Visionary, Founder, & Master Coach Jose-Manuel (Manolo) GARCIA, CIS, CMS, CCM manolo@ividmc.travel Second Generation, Innovator & President
Cover Subject:
CUBA’S CHARM WILL LEAVE YOU UTTERLY PERPLEXED! • • •
Introduction Page 4 Why Cuba? Page 5 What’s New in Cuba Pages 6, 7
Francisco BAEZA, DMCP fbaeza@ividmc.travel Vice President
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Trinidad SANCHEZ tsanchez@ividmc.travel General Comptroller
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Unique Facts About Our Destination Page 8 Fact Sheet Page 9 Cuba’s Best Asset Page 14 Why is Cuba a Trendy Destination Page 15
Raquel MIJARES, CIS Corporate Marketing Director Julia ORTIZ jortiz@ividmc.travel Quality Director Alejandro PECH apech@ividmc.travel Electronic Publishing Omar GALLEGOS ivicorp@ividmc.travel Content & Editing David MIS corp.image@ividmc.travel Design
Pages 10, 11 How to Prepare the World Famous Mojito Page 12
Advertise with CommuniQuest Page 13
The Customer’s Always Right Page 14 © Copyright 2018. All Rights Reserved.
Destination Offices Mexico
Caribbean
Central America
South America
IVI DMC² Los Cabos Yazmin ELOSEGUI Destination Managing Director yelosegui@ividmc.travel
IVI DMC² Cuba Alejandro DEBASA, CMS Regional Managing Director adebasa@ividmc.travel
IVI DMC² Costa Rica Ligia VARGAS, CIS Regional Managing Director lvargas@ividmc.travel
IVI DMC² South America Jorge OROZCO, DMCP Regional Managing Director jorozco@ividmc.travel
IVI DMC² Mexico City, Central Mexico, IVI DMC² Dominican Republic IVI DMC² Panama Puerto Vallarta, & Riviera Nayarit Ramon RIJO, CIS David JOHNSON, CIS Jaime NELO, CMS, DMCP Regional Managing Director Associate Regional Managing Destination Managing Director Director rrijo@ividmc.travel jnelo@ividmc.travel djohnson@ividmc.travel IVI DMC² Cancun & Riviera Maya Raquel MIJARES, CIS Corporate Marketing Director rmijares@ividmc.travel
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Message From Headquarters Dear reader, Cuba offers an amazing destination like stopped in time. This is the right time to visit the island since it still keeps its vintage Caribbean taste. In the years to come, Cuba will continue embracing change for the better and it will look more modern and boast state-of-the-art tourism infrastructure. So, if you are putting together a small or medium size group you can find iconic hotels in the main cities and prime beach resorts, such as El Nacional. Some Spaniard brands have already been established, i.e., Barcelo, Iberostar, Melia, and Paradisus. IVI DMC2’s long standing expertise and local know-how will help you out with your planning and logistics for handling transfers, city tours, historic tours, water activities, dining at paladares, special events, and more! We invite you to come and enjoy this idyllic island, its history, charming cities, resorts, and above all, its vibrant and lively people! As Christopher Columbus once said, discover “the most beautiful land that human eyes have ever seen”. Sincerely, Jose-Manuel (Manolo) GARCIA, CIS, CMS, CCM Second Generation, Innovator & President
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CUBA
Cuba is located in an archipelago of the sea of the Antilles. It is considered the largest of the Caribbean Islands. Its territory is divided in 15 provinces and a special municipality being Havana its capital and most populated city. The island is surrounded completed by approximately 4,200 keys or small islands. There are many theories about the origin of the word Cuba. Of the most accurate hypothesis is that it derives from the deformation of the Taina word "Cubanacan" which is the name that the natives of the Island referred to this territory according to Admiral Christopher Columbus. Another theory is that the name comes from the Arabic word "Coba" which is used to designate a mosque with a dome and that the island would have been baptized in this way by the forms of the mountain seen from "Bariay" the place where Christopher Columbus disembarked.
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Why Cuba? The unparalleled beauty of the island of Cuba moves many meeting planners to consider us when planning a new event or pleasure trip. Its rich and abundant tropical vegetation, its paradisiacal beaches, colonial cities full of authentic stories, the kindness and culture of its people, make Cuba a unique and attractive destination.
Our tourism infrastructure keeps on the rise. Take for example the prestigious hotel chain Kempinski that recently inaugurated in Havana the elegant Gran Hotel Manzana with a total of 246 rooms. Also, the Asian firm Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, will open its second Hotel in Cayo Santa MarĂa by 2018 under the brand name of Angsana; and the construction of two hotels in the resort of Varadero is fast advancing. Likewise, Grupo Posadas Mexico announced the opening of 2 new hotels in Cuba.
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What’s New in Cuba?
✓ The Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts hotel company, based in Singapore, will open
its second hotel next May in the Villa Clara enclave of Cayo Santa María, in the north central region of Cuba, national media reported. Under the Angsana brand and with the joint administration of the Gaviota state group, the facility will have a total of 252 rooms and will be exclusively dedicated to the segment of adult visitors. At present, the firm is in the midst of the construction work of two more hotels in Varadero, one of the Banyan Tree luxury brand and the other of Angsana. ✓ The Royal Caribbean cruise company, based in Miami, announced Friday that it
will double its operations in Cuba with the addition of two ships and two new destinations, Santiago de Cuba and Cienfuegos. On board the Majesty of the Seas and the Empress of the Seas, the line will seek to expand the experiences of its customers so that they "immerse themselves in the culture and history of the vibrant island" with a visit to its ports on the south coast. ✓ MGM Muthu Hotels will open two new hotels in the resort of Varadero and Cayo
Guillermo. This Singaporean company will begin the construction of a hotel in the resort of Varadero with a total capacity of 385 rooms and under the category of all inclusive.
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✓ Cuba, in sixth place in the top 10 of the best tourist destinations of 2018. It is a
ranking that annually develops the tourism magazine Rough Guide, which for the next year has chosen as number one the English city of Newcastle. Cuba too was added to the top 10 due to its lively nightlife, variety of restaurants, museums, and architecture. As they explain, the island has been selected because it is a destination on the rise or what is the same, because it will be fashionable. During 2017 the island had the annual record of foreign visitors, reaching 5 million tourists. And for this 2018, it is expected to exceed this figure! ✓ Cayo Coco is among the 50 best beaches in the world according to Flight Network. A
beach in Cuba has been included in the "definitive list" of the best beaches in the world, according to an investigation carried out by the editorial blog of the well-known platform FlightFlightNetwork. The list, a "diverse collection of portions of paradise out of the ordinary", reviews the appeal of 50 beaches around the world, of which Cuba takes the number 24 position with one of its most famous locations: Cayo Coco.
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Unique Facts About Our Destination THE SMALLEST BIRD IN THE WORLD. The Zunzun, hummingbird zunzuncito, fly bird or elf of the bees (Mellisuga helenae), is a native of this country. In fact, it can only live in Cuba. In its adulthood, it only measures 5 centimeters. FIRST LATIN AMERICAN ASTRONAUT. The first Latin-American to be a cosmonaut was the Cuban Arnaldo Tamayo, born in Baracoa, province of Guantanamo, on January 29, 1942. He also became the first Latin American and African American in orbit and received the heroic titles of Hero of the Republic of Cuba and Hero of the Soviet Union, the highest honorary titles and degrees of distinction that are granted in these countries.
GUARDALAVACA BEACH. Guardalavaca is called the archaeological capital of Cuba". Legend has it that the name derives from the custom the Spaniards had in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, that of hiding their cattle to prevent pirates and corsairs who frequently visited the island in search of treasures and riches, to plunder their animals.
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Fact Sheet POPULATION: 11, 167, 325 inhabitants Average age: 37 years Life expectancy: 79 years Men: 49.9% Women: 50.1% TIME ZONE. The time zone of the Republic of Cuba is GMT5, so it shares a time zone with Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru; Mexico central time (summer time), among other countries. CLIMATE. Cuba's climate is tropical, seasonally humid, with maritime influence and semi-continental features; there are too microclimate areas located in the mountainous regions and on the coasts. Its weather is defined in two periods: Little rainy and rainy. Not very rainy: November to April. Rainy: May to October. CURRENCY. The National Currency is the Cuban Peso (CUP). Also available is the Convertible Cuban Peso (CUC), used as a change for foreign currency. For tourist services the currency is the CUC, which allows you access to all the available products and services. The currency exchange for convertible Peso (CUC) varies according to the exchange rate of the different currencies affected by the fluctuation of the world’s stock market. It can be exchanged at airports, banks, hotels, exchange houses (CADECA) and main stores or malls. In Cuba you can use some of the major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Access, Eurocard, Banamex, and others) provided they are not issued by a US bank; we always suggest to bring cash. LEGAL ENTRY PROCEDURE. All citizens from any country can travel to Cuba without immigration restrictions, including U.S. citizens. It excludes of course, persons wanted by international justice, linked to illegal activities such as drug trafficking, terrorism or other crimes. For traveling to Cuba for pleasure or business, the visitor must book his trip by means of a tourist program through an international travel agency that has agreements with the Cuban Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR), and he must show his visa application as issued by the said tourist agency when entering the country. Prior to the trip, the traveler can also be assisted by means of Cuban consular or embassy offices in his country of residence.
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How to Prepare the World Famous Cuban Mojito
Ingredients: • • • • • • •
1 shot glass of white rum Lime wedges (cut into quarters) 3 tsp sugar 10 peppermint leaves 1 cup of ice cubes 3 drops of Angostura 1/2 cup club soda
Preparation: In a large glass add the mint leaves, sugar, and 3 lime wedges. Gently crush with a muddler to release the lime juice and mint oils. Pour in the ice cubes. Add the white rum and the 3 drops of Angostura. Top off each glass with the club soda. Lightly stir, garnish with the last lime
wedge, and enjoy!
Fun Fact Ernest Hemingway’s two favorite drinks were daiquiris & mojitos. Come see his signed quote: “My mojito in the Bodeguita del Medio and my daiquiri in the Floridita.”
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IVI DMC² World Headquarters: Ave. Acanceh #1-01, SM 15 Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mx
Phone: +52 (998) 287-1700 Email: ivicorp@ividmc.travel Serving the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions industry since 1986. Find us in over 40 destinations throughout: • • • • • •
Mexico Cuba Dominican Republic Costa Rica Panama South America
For further information on the fine hotels, deals, activities, and group packages mentioned in this travel digest, please contact: Raquel MIJARES rmijares@ividmc.travel
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Cuba Jumps on the Tourism Bandwagon!
Cuba’s Best Asset Is Its People In Spanish a Cuban's way of speaking is very distinct. For example, instead of addressing someone in Spanish as "my brother", they say, “hey my brother”, which speaks volumes of their unity. Cubans are hard workers; they are very resourceful, witty, friendly, and loyal. Cubans are known for their enduring spirit under difficult times. They rely heavily on education and like to study hard. Cubans bear rhythm in their blood and are romantic by nature. This is the type of people who will serve you and make YOU look GREAT!
The Customer’s Always Right Jose has been very accommodating and has helped us in any aspect. He acts in urgency and always provide us with an answer. He did a very good job; we highly recommend IVI DMC2 to be used to those who will need assistance. Ms. Elizabeth Silverio | VP Sales & Marketing
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Why is Cuba a Trendy Destination for the M&E Industry? The island country has a strong magnet to the M&E industry due to its incomparable beauty and candor of its people, its unexploited nature, and biodiversity. All the above produces the perfect combination for fine hospitality. Cuba boasts archeological sites, abundant fishing, sun and idyllic beaches, cruises, iconic hotels, and more! Cuba is a country that is growing in the tourism sector. As of just a few years ago, tourism has become an important income producing asset to the country’s economy. More and more foreign investments are flocking to Cuba due to its potential in rendering good results. The construction of golf courses, first class hotels, marinas, etc. have become a main priority for the local government. Cuba is indeed trendy amongst meeting planners!
THANK YOU FOR READING Like life in general, the M&E Industry seems to move at the speed of light. As a committed B2B partner, we aim to help you keep up with the latest industry news and opportunities. CommuniQuest Incentive Travel Digest is a valuable tool that brings you the timely information and analysis that you need, with a lair for what's hot, relevant, & interesting. I wish you the best of success in your quest, whatever it may be. Jose-Manuel GARCIA, CDS Visionary, Founder, & Master Coach
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