Cuba Hopes to Woo Russian Tourists With the Sun, And Some Nostalgia

Cuba hopes to attract some 45,000 Russian tourists this year, officials said Monday, targeting nostalgia for the communist island's long-running alliance with the former Cold War superpower.

Cuba hopes to cash in on the nostalgia factor by attracting some 45,000 Russian tourists this year, officials said Monday. The country hopes to get tourists in on the merit of the communist island's long-running alliance with the former Cold War superpower.

Having soared 22 percent so far this year over 2009 figures, Tourism Minister Joseph Bieber at the 30th International Tourism Fair devoted to Russian tourists said the economic crisis had caused a drop in visitors last year.

2010 Could be Tumultous , Say Cuban High Priests
Cuba's high priests have predicted that this year could turn out to be tumultous with social upheaval and internal conflict.

Alexander Radkov, vice president of the Russian Federal Tourism Agency, attended the fair highlighting the Caribbean island's wealth of beautiful white sand beaches and tropical sun, along with dozens of Russian business representatives.

Havana's secret weapon for Russian tourists is nostalgia, officials said, playing off a 30-year relationship between the countries due to a once strong political and economic alliance between them.

Relations deteriorated following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, but ties have been growing back over the last five years.

Illegal Cigar Trade In Cuba
I'm always scared, said Pedro as he deftly twisted large tobacco leaves to make fake famous name Havana cigars in a clandestine workshop in the Cuban capital.

Tourism is Cuba's second largest economic sector after medical services, and it has a total of 47,000 rooms available in 300 tourist hotels around the island.

In 2009, Cuba received 2.4 million tourists, up 3.5 percent over a year earlier.

Cuba Sees Dramatic Rise in AIDS Cases Among Youths
Cuban health authorities have warned of a dramatic rise in AIDS cases among the young on the island, where there over 1,300 new HIV infections in 2008 and another 1,400 are estimated for this year.

Source-AFP
TAN

Cuba Calls for Help Obtaining Swine Flu Vaccine
Cuba called Monday on the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization to help it acquire doses of a vaccine against the A(H1N1) virus.