Cuban minister urges sunseeking Canadians to return following hurricane Irma

OTTAWA Cuba’s tourism minister says his country has fully rebounded from the ravages of hurricane Irma and says potentially reluctant Canadian sun seekers will find new and improved hotels and beaches.

Manuel Marrero stressed that message during a visit last week to Toronto, where he met tour operators and travel writers.

Tourism is crucial to Cuba’s economy and the million Canadians who visit the island annually are the leading customers. That’s why Canada was Marrero’s first foreign trip after Irma struck Cuba last month, shuttering hotels.

Almost 944,000 Canadians have visited Cuba this year and Marrero said his government is determined to hit the one million mark before years’end.

“They will find the hotels better than before and all their friends and workers there are very enthusiastic and welcoming,” Marrero said in an interview conducted in Spanish through a translator.

“The best help that Canadians can give to the Cubans is travelling as tourists so that the hotels realize their potential and we can get back to normal.”

The powerful hurricane, which happened to coincide with a bizarre spat with the United States over mysterious sonic attacks on its diplomats in Havana, has driven down visits to Cuba.

The September hurricane was Category 5 strength when it strafed northern Cuba, leaving 10 people dead.

Irma flooded the streets of Cuba’s capital, Havana, and tore through seaside resorts on its northern coast — many of them popular tourist destinations for Canadians. It cut across Cuba’s northern keys, where newer, foreign-built resorts have been become popular destinations in recent years.

Marrero said most of the damage to hotels and tourist sites has been repaired and he expected full access to locations in the northern keys to be fully restored by mid-November, in time for the start of the high tourist season.