Seven reasons why Cuba should be your first choice long haul destination post COVID-19

July 2, 2020|by Lucy Davies

Cuba has ridden the COVID-19 storm with relative ease and has one of the lowest infection rates in the world – and one of the highest recovery rates – from illness associated to the virus. The country is now beginning to re-open to tourism, starting with the re-opening of a limited number of hotels on the Northern Cays.

We’ve put together a list of reasons why Cuba is a seriously good choice for a long haul holiday:

Cuba is Opening to International Tourism on 1st August 2020.
Cuba is healthy. The nation has one of the lowest infection rates in the world. There have been fewer that 100 COVID-19 related fatalities since March 2020.
Cuba has a low population density and an even lower tourism density. If it ‘s wide open spaces you’re looking for (aren’t we all?) then Cuba is the place.
Cuban health care workers are experts in treating COVID-19. International medical missions in 20 countries have taught Cuba the best ways to treat the disease.
Cubania Travel offers flexible booking terms and no deposit reservations. To encourage a safe return to travel we have changed our booking conditions so that you don’t have to spend a penny to reserve your place on one of our tours. You’ll receive a 100% refund if you cancel within 30 days of your trip departure date.
Book a holiday that focusses on the big outdoors. The last thing you’ll want to do on a Cubania Travel holiday is stay indoors during your holiday. You’ll be far too busy cycling or walking or exploring wild beaches to stay indoors for long.
Recreate some of the lockdown silver linings. Cycling in Cuba will remind you of cycling during lockdown…there is no traffic!

Read more on why Cuba is a seriously good choice for a long haul holiday post COVID-19

Cuba is opening to international tourism on 1st August

International flights to Cuba will recommence from 1st August and foreign tourists will be able to fly to beach hotels in Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Largo and Cayo Santa Maria from then onwards.

Tourism to other parts of the island will recommence in the late summer and the entire island re-open for tourism by November, in time for the beginning of Cuba ‘s tourism high season. Cubania Travel will be running at full steam from November onwards so now is a great time to start planning your winter trip to the largest, most fascinating island in the Caribbean.
Book a holiday to a country with low tourism density

Despite the enduring appeal of the citybreak, most would agree that trips to crowded cities with packed streets have lost their appeal for the time being. Most travellers will be looking for the road less travelled, for wide open spaces which offer a reconnection to nature in uncrowded landscapes.

Equally, the most popular tourist destinations may be worth avoiding, places which receive large numbers of foreign tourists from all over the world are more likely to be infection hotspots than quieter backwaters.

Even though Cuba receives around 4 million visitors annually, more than half of these stay in all-inclusive beach hotels, rarely venturing beyond the gates of their hotel. More than a million of the remaining visitors are Cuban nationals living abroad, who return to visit and stay with family members. Which leaves less than half a million tourists exploring the country in depth. So, if you’re looking for low tourism density Cuba is a good bet.
Cuba is healthy

There are plenty of countries in the world with a low tourism density but it ‘s harder to find one which has low tourism density, has successfully beaten COVID-19 and had a relatively good health system. Step up Cuba!

Cuba’s "medical internationalism" has played a key role in fighting COVID-19 – and has turned their Doctors into experts on treating the disease. Medical missions were sent to 20 countries including, for the first time, European Countries during the COVID-19 crisis.

More than 95% of patients hospitalized in Cuba recovered from the disease. Most patients were successfully treated with Interferon Alpha-2B Recombinant (IFNrec), a Cuban made antiviral drug which boost immune systems. The drug has been a crucial tool to help Cuban doctors achieve such remarkable recovery rates. People travelling to Cuba can feel confident that they will be visiting a country with an excellent record on fighting COVID-19.
Cuban health care workers are experts in treating COVID-19

Anyone who knows Cuba well won’t be surprised that the country managed the pandemic so successfully. Cuba has a world class reputation not only for its public healthcare but also for its success in disaster management. The yearly threat of hurricanes has offered the country the opportunity to fine-tune emergency responses and disaster management is embedded in society, especially effective at grassroots level where the collective effort of the Cuban people helps save lives.

The response to COVID-19 was able to tap into this expertise. Within days of registering the first case of Coronavirus on the island, the authorities had manually tracked and traced all contacts who were then quarantined in clinics. This method was repeated with every case, thanks to the government being able to call on an army of medics, epidemiologists and health care workers who were then sent out to educate the Cuban population with daily visits to those who were presenting with symptoms and weekly visits to every single home in the country.

Facemasks have been (and remain) mandatory in public since the end of March and, in spite of high population density and a housing shortage which has led to multi-generation homes being the norm, Cuba has managed to stop the virus in its tracks. The country has reported less than 100 COVID-19 related fatalities and around 95% of those who contracted the disease have now recovered.

While it’s true that Cuba’s population is relatively small at approximately 12 million, this recovery rate is remarkable and offers a huge boost of confidence to those planning a holiday on the island.

So how can you best prepare for your next holiday to Cuba?
Book a holiday which focusses on the big outdoors

We all know that there is a far greater chance of contracting any illness if we confine ourselves indoors or in a confined group space. The very nature of adventure holidays is to spend as little time as possible indoors – you’ll be far too busy cycling, trekking, kayaking or zip lining to spend much time indoors on a Cubania Travel holiday. And the mild Cuban climate means that you’ll be able to enjoy al fresco dining most evenings too.
Recreate some of the positives of lockdown

We all felt it at some stage of lockdown. The bliss of waking up to silence.

One of the surprising positives of lockdown was how we reconnected to Nature. Our lives slowed down and we looked out of our windows and saw everything with fresh eyes. The good weather certainly helped, and even those of us who live in big cities rediscovered the joy of waking up to the sound of birdsong rather than the dull roar of traffic. Perhaps the most joyous silver lining was the glee we all found in cycling round our empty city streets. It was as if the city had been given back to us! The tension of sharing the road with lorries and aggressive drivers simply melted away with the blissful absence of traffic. And people who did not cycle regularly got back on the saddle and rediscovered the fun of cycling.

Now imagine a country where lack of traffic is its default position. Cuba!

Partly due to the US Embargo on Cuba and partly due to local policy, Cuba has one of the lowest rates of car ownership per capita, which means that a cycling holiday in Cuba recaptures some of the lockdown bliss of cycling on empty roads, but this time punctuated by palm trees, tropical skies and the odd baby blue 1950’s Chevy over-taking you, or you over-taking a horse and cart lazily sharing the road with you.
Book with a reliable travel agency that offers flexible booking terms

When the COVID-19 crisis hit, Cubania Travel immediately offered refunds to 100% of our clients booked for future tours to Cuba. We were in constant contact with all our clients and offered to rebook them on future dates if this was their preference. Those who were on the island were repatriated swiftly – all of our clients were looked after every step of the way until they were safely on their way home.

We are ABTA member – which offers financial security to you for future bookings – and we are now offering deposit free bookings for anyone who would like to start planning a trip.

We understand that there is still a lot of uncertainty and insecurity about travel so we want to do everything we can to help you plan without risking losing your money. Please see our updated booking terms and conditions here.