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Pinellas Tourism Officials Expect Cuba To Be Rival

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By TED JACKOVICS

tjackovics@tampatrib.com

Published: March 5, 2009

CLEARWATER - Cuba is expected to rapidly improve its infrastructure and accommodations for tourists as soon as U.S. restrictions on travel there are lifted, Pinellas County tourism officials said Wednesday.

Prospects that the United States might gradually remove travel restrictions to Cuba have grown more promising under the Obama Administration, prompting local officials to consider what competition Cuba might offer to the local visitors industry in the future.

But it is still too soon to tell how Pinellas County's mainstay visitors industry would be affected by competition from Cuba, said D.T. Minich, executive director of Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater.

"Some people from the United States will visit Cuba out of curiosity, and some will visit to say they've been there, but it won't be different from any Caribbean competitor," Minich said.

He said he has heard from Canadian visitors to Cuba that they generally book all-inclusive packages and find the services levels can be somewhat irregular.

Pinellas County's visitors bureau is expected to conduct focus group meetings in Canada to gauge what increased interest Canadians would have in Cuba if the nation improved its hotels and other facilities.

But how much additional competition from Canada or the United States would develop if Cuba became a more attractive vacation spot is difficult to tell at this time, Minich said.

Cuba is very likely to be opened up to U.S. travel in the next 24 months, Pinellas tourism consultant Walter Klages said.

"We need to begin to talk about that possibility," he said.

Tribune reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817.

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