https://www.paxnews.com/news/tourism-board/cuba-back-normal-cuba-tourism-talks-recovery-island-improvements-to-event


Nearly 170 travel agents, tour operators, hotel partners, and media, converged at Toronto’s Hotel X ballroom Wednesday night (Nov. 20) of an evening of networking, Cuban hors d’oeuvres, dinner, live music, dancing and resort-style entertainment to celebrate Cuba’s “Única” spirit.

The evening’s talent included local Toronto band Salsa Cuba, belting out the classics, alongside dancers from the Toronto-based Danza Corpus Conservatory Dance Theatre directed by renowned Cuban choreographer, Jose Angel Carret.

Cuba’s Única campaign, launched in 2022, is all about promoting the country’s best assets – the Cuban people, their culture, pride and friendliness – and celebrating the things that make the destination unique.

Admittedly, concerns over October’s power grid failures, combined with recent damages caused by Hurricane Oscar and Rafael, raised questions.

“Yes, a lot of people changed their flight dates [in October following the events],” said Lessner Gomez, director of the Cuba Tourist Board in Toronto. “If people cancel their trip, then we respect that. If they change their flights, we respect that too. But Cuba is open and Cuba is back to normal.”

As a Caribbean island nation, dealing with hurricanes is just part of life and Cuba has effective repair protocols in place. Gomez pointed to 2017’s hurricane Irma that crippled the country in September, only to have the entire island spring back into operation just two months later.

Canadians have long had a love affair with Cuba, with many visiting the island on a regular basis. More than 32 per cent of first-time visitors to the island become repeat visitors, say the Cuba Tourist Board.

“Cuba is still Canada’s number one travel destination. We are more than 97 per cent back to where we were last year with nearly 1 million Canadian visitors, and I think we’ll keep that number this year. Before COVID we were at 1.1 million,” said Gomez.

Cuba will receive more than four thousand flight operations from 21 Canadian gateways this 2024-25 season, with flights arriving at the most popular resort areas in Cuba.

More here:  https://www.paxnews.com/news/tourism-board/cuba-back-normal-cuba-tourism-talks-recovery-island-improvements-to-event

Travel from Canada to the South and Caribbean is being suspended until April 30 2021. 
As well travellers returning to Canada will have to test negative or quarantine in an approved hotel at their expense. 

https://www.cp24.com/news/trudeau-suspending-travel-down-south-will-require-all-incoming-travellers-to-quarantine-in-hotels-1.5287360?fbclid=IwAR38E3GPh7k4ADbMgFaMTpi0jpvnT5n6hUOrcbrItK3ILgpSlYFXDm1opAE

The federal government will force incoming international travellers to quarantine in hotels for at least three days and suspend all travel to Caribbean destinations in a bid to narrow the chance more coronavirus variants enter the country.

Trudeau said that among other measures, all arrivals to Canadian airports will have to pay out of pocket to quarantine in a hotel before being allowed to circulate freely in the country.

All arrivals will also have to undergo PCR COVID-19 testing and then isolate in “an approved hotel” for up to three days while they wait for their result.


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Trudeau said the cost of this hotel quarantine stay will be “more than $2,000” per traveller.

Those who test negative will then be allowed to return to their home or other final destination and complete the rest of a 14-day quarantine under “increased surveillance.”

Positive cases will have to stay in hotels until they recover.

Trudeau said they hope to have testing and quarantine functions up and running in the next several weeks.

Additionally, all flights to and from vacation destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico will stop as of Sunday and remain suspended until at least April 30, Trudeau said.

“Now is just not the time to be flying,” Trudeau said.

“We can look forward to a better time when we can all plan those vacations.”

Trudeau said the four air carriers that carry passengers to the Caribbean and Mexico, Westjet, Air Canada, Sunwing and Air Transat, are cooperating with the travel restrictions.

All incoming foreign flights will now only be permitted to land in four locations; Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Calgary, where testing and hotel quarantine capabilities will be set up.

All incoming non-essential travellers at Canada’s land borders with the United States will also soon have to present a negative result from a PCR test before being allowed entry.

thanks

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic-g147293-i28-k11233511-Hand_Foot_Mouth_Disease_Any_input-Punta_Cana_La_Altagracia_Province_Dominican_Republic.html

there is a thread on Trip advisor I am  trying to get more insight - no CDC or Cdn advisories at this time