Cuba and Russia evaluated the perspectives and potential to strengthen bilateral cooperation in tourism, especially from the parliamentary level.
The dialogue took place this Friday, via videoconference, between the president of the Commission for Attention to Services of the National Assembly of People’s Power, Tamara Valido, and Sangadzhi A. Tarbaev, president of the Committee for Tourism and Infrastructure Development Tourist of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia.
Valido highlighted the importance of these contacts in the midst of the complex context that Cuba is experiencing due to the tightening of the US blockade, especially in the tourism sector.
For his part, Tarbaev recalled that bilateral relations have been significantly strengthened since last yea’s official visit last year to Cuba of the president of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Vyacheslav Volodin.
He also highlighted the preference of his country’s tourists for the Cuba destination, as well as the potential of the Antillean island as a bridge for Russian tourism to Latin America and the Caribbean, for which it is essential to strengthen air connectivity.
He pointed out as a strength the possibility of making payments with MIR system cards in Cuba, which positions the island as a safe and competitive destination for Russian travelers.
Likewise, the Russian official emphasized the progress made in training in the tourism field between academic institutions of both countries, with the operation of three training centers for specialists in this sector.
Both parties agreed on the importance of increasing the number of Russian cities from which there are direct flights, particularly from Saint Petersburg, increasing the promotion and advertising of the Cuban destination, strengthening investments, and increasing tourism projects, corporate business, among other initiatives.
