From the Far East to the Caribbean, with a transit route that is also attractive and historical, the maxims of the new Beijing-Madrid-Havana route, which is now a reality in aviation.

The inaugural flight will leave Beijing on Thursday, stop in Madrid on Friday and continue on to Havana, Air China’s big bet to boost tourism to the largest island of the Antilles and Spain.

To underline the importance of the new route, with two weekly frequencies, Air China and the Cuban tourist office in Spain explained the characteristics of the routes to tour operators.

Oscar Huo, Air China’s Sales Director, told Prensa Latina that the company is committed to giving a special boost to tourism by Chinese citizens to Cuba and Latin America, for which it already has flights to Brazil.

«We have chosen Madrid as our hub to the Americas, which consolidates our projection from China to Europe and at the same time offers the attraction of the Caribbean with Cuba in the first place. We hope to expand into Latin America in the future,» Huo explained.

Niurka Pérez Denis, Cuban Tourism Counsellor for Spain and Portugal, told Prensa Latina that the fact that the visa exemption for Chinese citizens has been applied broadens the prospects of turning the island into a relevant destination for the Asian giant.

«We have organised this exchange with tour operators, because it is not only a step in the economic-commercial relations between China and Cuba, but also the dynamic promotion of the emission of Chinese tourists to our country,» she said.

In elaborating on the subject, Pérez Denis stressed that the Beijing-Madrid-Havana itinerary boosts the sector by allowing the possibility of multi-destination, since Air China actually has a daily frequency from its capital to Madrid.

«It gives the Chinese the possibility of taking advantage of the stopovers in Madrid for tourism in Spain, and at the same time broadens the scope for travellers from other nearby countries such as Italy, the United Kingdom and France, in addition to Spain, of course,» he said.

The evening, which was attended by the Cuban ambassador to Spain, Marcelino Medina, was also attended by representatives of tourism companies and specialised press.