Two New Air Routes From the UK to Cuba Will Open Next May
In a bid to boost tourism to the Caribbean island, two new air routes from the United Kingdom to popular tourist destinations in Cuba are set to open next May. The routes will connect London with Cayo Coco and Manchester with Holguín.
The London-Cayo Coco flight is scheduled to start operations on Sunday, May 5, departing from Gatwick airport. On the other hand, the Manchester-Holguín route will begin operating the following Friday.
The official launch of these routes was done in collaboration with the Cuban Tourism Office in the United Kingdom, IronTravel, and the Broker TripLatam, as reported by Cubaminrex.
These new air connections come as part of efforts to increase tourist flow to Cuba. Earlier this year, Spanish company Enjoy Travel Group (ETG) announced a new service from Madrid to Havana, starting on June 29.
In projections for the current year, the Ministry of Tourism aims to attract 100,000 visitors from Spain with the operation of 18 weekly flights during the summer. Airlines such as Plus Ultra, Cubana de Aviación, and Iberia will be operating these flights, according to statements made by the commercial director of Mintur, Giana Galindo, reported by Prensa Latina.
Additionally, to further promote tourism, the Venezuelan airline Rutaca recently inaugurated a new international route to Havana from Las Piedras airport in the state of Falcón. This initiative is part of a strategy to boost tourism from Venezuela to Cuba, which has seen significant growth in recent years, primarily for commercial purposes.
Cuban authorities reported that in January of this year, the island welcomed over 259,000 tourists, marking a 104% increase compared to the same period last year. Despite the gradual recovery of the tourism sector post-pandemic, the goal is to reach 3 million visitors by 2024. However, this target might fall short of the levels recorded in 2018, as stated by the Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda, during a meeting with businessmen in Madrid.