Close to 200 travel advisors turned out for a lunch Tuesday hosted by Cuban hotel group Gaviota and partner Sunwing to catch up on the latest in the Caribbean destination, which has recently suffered weather and electrical grid problems that have generated high profile international headlines.

The full house at the out-of-the-way Arlington Estate north of Toronto demonstrated the strong interest in Cuba by Canadians – and the agents who send them there – prompting Gaviota exec Frank Oltuski Rodriguez to express “deepest gratitude for your faith in us” to Canadians – Cuba’s largest and historically most important market.

“This year has brought some challenges, but challenges make us stronger,” he continued.

The event featured entertainment and a mini-trade show with partners of the Gaviota Group, which is Cuba’s largest hospitality company, counting six different management brands under its umbrella in the country, including Melia, Blue Diamond and Iberostar.

Gaviota said it would continue to invest in its properties in 2025, including ongoing training of staff to help improve service levels, as well as focussing on niches such as luxury and families, with the aim, Rodriguez said, of providing Canadians “a home away from home” when the visit.

Sunwing director of sales for Ontario/Atlantic Canada told Travel Industry Today that, despite its recent problems, Cuba continues to sell well for the tour operator and noted that almost all hotels in the country, as well as key infrastructure like airports, have their own generators that allowed them to continue operations during the blackouts.

He added, “We had a FAM group there last week and you would never know that anything had happened.”

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