Cruise tourism returns to Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba (CMC):

Cuban officials say cruise tourism has returned to the Spanish-speaking Caribbean country with the arrival of the nine-deck British cruise ship Thomson Dream.

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro, several years ago, had put a break on cruiser visits, claiming that they had brought considerable garbage while the visitors spent little cash.

Tourists on the Thomson Dream were given red-carpet treatment on arrival in Havana on Wednesday with a salsa band, dancing schoolchildren and showgirls in bikini tops and feather headdresses, Cuban officials said.

Jose Manuel Bisbe, a Cuban tourism official said, besides the deal that will bring Thomson cruise ships to the island, there are agreements with other European tour operators.

He said when Òeach passenger spends an average of US$50 to US$200 per day on the island," it is highly welcomed in today's cash-strapped economy.

The Cuban government statement said visitors will attend the famous Tropicana Cabaret Show, the nightly cannon shot at the old Spanish San Carlos de la Cabaña Fort, as well as travel to Viñales Valley in western Pinar del Rio province and the Zapata wetlands in Matanzas.