Beyond the stars of soap operas, Turks choose Cuba

By Daily Pérez Guillén

Turkish soap opera actor, Gokhan Alkan, has been traveling around Cuba and his visits to different tourist resorts are reflected on social media.  “From this country I take with me the beauty of its sites, the taste of its food and the smiles of its people,” the actor stated during his stay in the Viñales Valley, according to a post.

But Alkan’s presence in Cuba is just one example of the shared effort between these two nations to increase the flow of travelers from Turkey to Cuba. Official statistics place Turkish tourists in 16th place among foreign arrivals so far this year and among the few markets that exceeded the plan for visitors up until April. In the first four months of 2024, 5,956 Turkish citizens crossed the Caribbean nation’s borders, a figure that reflects three percent more than expected.

Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism considers Turkey among the most important markets for the recovery of the country’s travel industry, with potential increases in the arrival of travelers. In recent years, tourism authorities have held exchanges and reached agreements to strengthen ties. In bilateral meetings and trade fairs, Cuba has presented its potential as a destination for sun and beach, nature, circuits, meetings, congresses, culture and history, among others, to Turkish leisure industry operators.

Actions have included training for the sales network and the participation of agencies and tour operators in familiarization trips to Cuba (FAM Trip), the increase in weekly flights by Turkish Airlines, which will reach five in November this year, as well as the promotion of Cuba as a destination in Turkey.

A delegation made up of ten MINTUR officials took part in the 27th edition of the Eastern Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel Exhibition (EMITT 2024). MINTUR Commercial Director, Gihana Galindo, leading the Cuban representatives, assured TTC in February that this is “a market that has aroused a lot of interest in  Cuba as a destination.”

Cuban delegation at EMITT 2024. Photo: Social media profile of Gihana Galindo, MINTUR commercial director.

The Turkish chain Swandor Hotels & Resorts, with ten hotels located in Greece, Vietnam and Thailand, decided to establish itself in the Caribbean archipelago in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and began managing its first hotel in November 2022 in Cuba’s largest beach resort, the PGS Varadero Resort. In June of the following year, it began operations at the Woovo Playa Hermosa, located in Cayo Paredón, Jardines del Rey, Cuba’s youngest sun and beach destination.

In line with the WTM Global Travel Report, conducted in association with Oxford Economics, which projects a triple-digit increase in the value of Cuba’s inbound leisure business over the next decade, Karaağaç Mehmet Cengiz, Swandor’s director in the Caribbean nation, told TTC at the latest edition of FITCUBA that they would like to increase their presence with one more hotel. “We consider that in five years this will be a much better destination. This country has the potential to receive more than 10 million visitors, we see good prospects.”

Karaağaç Mehmet Cengiz, director of Swandor in Cuba. Photo: TTC.

Another Turkish group, Anex Tours (ATG), also operates a hotel in Varadero. It is an international conglomerate active in the tourism sector, founded in 1996 and headquartered in Antalya. The company is known for offering a wide range of tour packages, including popular destinations such as Mallorca, Turkey, Egypt, the Canary Islands, Greece and the Caribbean. ATG has its own brands of tour operators, hotels, travel agencies, booking portals and incoming agencies.

Turkey is part of MINTUR’s strategy to diversify its inbound markets. In addition to the citizens of that nation who choose Cuba as a place of rest and enjoyment, Istanbul is currently an important connection point between Europe, Asia and the Middle East with Cuba.