Online travel company Expedia enters Cuban market
HAVANA, Cuba (CMC) – Online travel company Expedia, has now entered the Cuban market, allowing hotels on the Spanish speaking Caribbean island to post on all of the group’s website.
“We’ve been working around the clock with Cuban hoteliers to offer this iconic, culture-rich destination to our global consumers, with the added convenience of online booking through a trusted travel partner,” said Demetrius Canton, Expedia’s director of market management for the Caribbean in a statement to the Spanish news agency EFE.Expedia joins other large US tourism companies like Starwood, despite uncertainties about the future of relations between the two countries .According to the statement, Expedia hopes to help Cuba and seeks to benefit local hotels with its tools, technology and experience.“We are excited to make Barceló properties in Cuba accessible to travellers on Expedia platforms around the world,” said Josep Brich, a top executive of the Spanish hotel group Barceló.In 2016, the island registered the record number of four million foreign visitors, and in 2017 it expects to attract 4.2 million tourists.Since the start of 2017 the island has welcomed two million tourists.