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Tourism to Cuba Up 8 Percent in 2004

HAVANA, 26 (AP) - Tourism to Cuba increased 8 percent this year compared to 2003, despite new U.S. restrictions sharply cutting back on how many Americans visit the island, state media reported Monday.

More than 2 million tourists visited the Caribbean island this year, the largest number ever, Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero announced at a weekend event in the eastern province of Holguin.

Last year, about 1.9 million foreigners visited Cuba. Canadians top the list of tourists, followed by Europeans, primarily from Italy, France, Germany and Spain.

Marrero told reporters tourism now represents 41 percent of Cuba's foreign exchange income - a leap from just 4 percent in 1990.

Last week, Economics Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez told Cuba's National Assembly that earnings from tourism increased by 15 percent in 2004 compared to the previous year.

Rodriguez also said Cuba expected up to 2.05 million tourists by year's end, and predicted that as many as 2.3 million people would visit Cuba in 2005.

Few of those now visiting Cuba come from the United States.

By mid-September, visits to the island, primarily by Cuban-Americans, had dropped 25 percent since the United States implemented new travel restrictions June 30 cutting the number of authorized family visits to Cuba from once a year to once every three years.

Tourism to Cuba Up 8 Percent in 2004

HAVANA, 27 (AP) - Tourism to Cuba increased 8 percent this year compared to 2003, despite new U.S. restrictions sharply cutting back on how many Americans visit the island, state media reported Monday.

More than 2 million tourists visited the Caribbean island this year, the largest number ever, Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero announced at a weekend event in the eastern province of Holguin.

Last year, about 1.9 million foreigners visited Cuba. Canadians top the list of tourists, followed by Europeans, primarily from Italy, France, Germany and Spain.

Marrero told reporters tourism now represents 41 percent of Cuba's foreign exchange income - a leap from just 4 percent in 1990.

Last week, Economics Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez told Cuba's National Assembly that earnings from tourism increased by 15 percent in 2004 compared to the previous year.

Rodriguez also said Cuba expected up to 2.05 million tourists by year's end, and predicted that as many as 2.3 million people would visit Cuba in 2005.

Few of those now visiting Cuba come from the United States.

By mid-September, visits to the island, primarily by Cuban-Americans, had dropped 25 percent since the United States implemented new travel restrictions June 30 cutting the number of authorized family visits to Cuba from once a year to once every three years.

New Internet Service for Remittances to Cuba Inaugurated

(PRWEB) December 25, 2004 -- The Swiss company, AWS Technologies SA, this week inaugurated its website for money transfers to Cuba. Among its many competitive advantages, it offers speed and efficiency in its service.

The internet webpage www.aws-transaction.com emphasizes a personalized service to the client and the collaboration of Cuban businesses with experience and skill in the area of remittances to Cuba.

Any user having a credit card can send money to his family or friends in Cuba. The remittances will be received in offices throughout the country where the currency can be withdrawn in U.S. dollars or in Cuban convertible currency.

The client in Cuba will be given a debit card that is rechargeable and valid in over 7000 commercial places.

According to information provided to Cubasi by Matthias Zehnder, executive director of AWS Technologies SA, the goal of the business is to facilitate this option as one of the main avenues of remittances to Cuba. These have a great deal of potential but have been limited by U.S. retrictions against Cuba that directly prejudice companies that engage in this type of service.

Transactions through www.aws-transaction.com have exclusive privacy tools available that guarantee the security of the transactions, explained Zehnder. For example, when a first time customer uses the online system, he has to send by fax a copy of his passport with a signed letter indicating that he agrees the terms and conditions of the service.

The Swiss company will operate and invoice in euros its Internet clients. They won"t take the liability for the clients resident in the United States, who use this platform to send over 300 USD every trimester to their relatives, or violate any regulation set in the US blockade laws against the Island.

AWS Technologies SA is a Swiss company specialized in developping professional IT-Solutions for Latin American countries, including Cuba.

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Rep. Davis to oppose changes to Cuba trade policies

WASHINGTON, 29 (AP) - U.S. Rep. Artur Davis said Tuesday he will ask the U.S. Treasury Department not to change Cuba trade policies, because new rules could damage Alabama's growing trade relationship with the nation.

Alabama-based agricultural companies have built an $18 million export industry since 2002, when the state first began pursuing trade with Cuba. The Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 allowed Cuba to import humanitarian products despite the U.S. economic embargo.

Federal regulations do not allow Cuba to use credit or financing to purchase imported American products, but the island nation often makes payments after goods have been shipped from U.S. ports. Changes would require Cuba to pay before shipments leave the United States.

"If there was a significant problem with late payments, it would make sense to tighten the cash schedule but Cuba has made its payments in a timely fashion," Davis, D-Birmingham, told the Birmingham News.

About 90 percent of current exports to Cuba come from 15 American companies, according to the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, Inc. American interests argue that changes to the current payment arrangement would send Cuban business elsewhere.

"It's either Alabama fills these chicken orders or Brazil fills these chicken orders. If someone else fills those orders, we are not going to get them back," said Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks.

Alabama's exports include poultry, timber and snack foods.

Sparks just returned from leading a delegation to Cuba for his fourth trade mission to the Communist nation.

Davis said he will contact the U.S. Treasury in writing at Sparks' request. Other members of the congressional delegation had not yet responded to the request, the Birmingham News reported.

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