Cuban Minister Manuel Marrero opened today the 20th Moscow International Travel and Tourism (MITT) Fair, representing the special guest country, among more than 100 nations attending the exhibition event.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Marrero said that the heroic Russian people have always supported the island of the freedom in different fields, and tourism is today the bridge to strengthen the friendship and solidarity between our fraternal peoples.
For Cuba, the Russian market is one of the fastest growth rates in recent years, with a record of visits in 2012 that exceeded 10 percent (more than 86,000 tourists), compared to the previous year, the minister said.
The Ministry of Tourism has drawn up a strategy to strengthen this market in the coming years, so an extensive investment plan is being designed; and it includes the remodeling and renovation of existing hotels and the growth of new rooms, Marrero said in the opening ceremony of the 20th edition of the MITT Fair.
He also referred to the strong recovery of cultural and heritage values in the major cities, declared World Heritage.
Marrero also highlighted the contributions in this direction of Cuba image's advertising campaign, to reveal our history, culture, security we offer to Russian tourists, the hospitality of our people, the most authentic elements of our country, he stressed.
The participation of Ecuador, Guatemala, Uruguay and Paraguay in this edition of the Moscow-Latin America Fair strengthened its traditional presence.
The MITT will run until Oct. 23 at the Expo Center fairgrounds, the largest one in the Russian capital, attended by more than 1,000 companies and representatives of 100 countries and regions of Russia.