Meeting News - December 3, 2007 - (Page 14)

International Cornell Univ. Report Urges U.S. Participation in Cuba’s Thriving Tourism, Hospitality Industry Says conditions are ripe for tourism investment, calls for end to longstanding embargo Ithaca, NY—Cuba possesses the second-largest tourism industry in the Caribbean, and the moment is right for U.S. tourism interests to explore business opportunities in the country, according to a report recently released by Cornell University. With President Fidel Castro’s lightened grip on the country, the study by Cornell’s Center for Hospitality Research, entitled “Cuba at the Crossroads: The Role of the U.S. Hospitality Industry in Cuban Tourism Initiatives,” urges reform of the United States’ 44-year economic embargo that would allow U.S.-based hotels and suppliers to conduct business in Cuba. An infusion of U.S. tourists, coupled with inter-nation joint ventures (especially in ecotourism), would start a U.S. hospitality rebirth in Cuba. An end to the embargo notwithstanding, any revival will require time to overcome decades of ill will and distrust toward Americans and U.S. interests. Also, Canada and Mexico are two of the biggest investors in Cuba and, as U.S. competitors, would be years ahead in development, should the United States be able to reenter the country. Nearly 2.4 million travelers visited Cuba in 2005, the majority from Canada, Italy, Germany, France, and Spain, the report cites, using Caribbean Tourism Organization statistics. Tourism is Cuba’s dominant source of employment and foreign exchange earnings. For the full report, visit http://cqx.sagepub.com. Edited by William Ng william.ng@nielsen.com MPI Tweaks Gulf Event Dallas—Meeting Professionals International has changed the name of its upcoming inaugural Middle East education conference to the Gulf Meetings and Events Conference. The change aligns with MPI’s earlier rebadging of its European education conference to the European Meetings and Events Conference. In Dubai, April 5-6, 2008, the event will take place just before the GIBTM meetings and business travel trade show in Abu Dhabi, April 8-10, creating a week of education, business, and networking festivities. MPI and GIBTM organizer Reed Travel Exhibitions have allied to give attendees of both events free transfers to GIBTM on April 7. At GIBTM, more than 250 hotels, meetings venues, destinations, and suppliers will look to do business with regional and international buyers. MPI’s European conference will take place in London, April 1820, before the IMEX industry show in Frankfurt, April 22-24. Before the U.S. embargo, Hotel Nacional de Cuba was a haunt of many American celebrities. Marriott Plan Goes Nordic Bethesda, MD—Marriott International has signed a franchise agreement that will produce 15 properties under the Marriott, Renaissance, and Courtyard by Marriott brands in Norway, Sweden, and Finland over the next six years. “Having a strong presence in the region has been an objective for a long time,” said Arne Sorenson, Marriott’s European president. Leading off the plan in 2009 are the 272-room Courtyard Stockholm-Kungsholmen, in Sweden, and the 155-room Courtyard Kristiansund, in Norway—each with nearly 10,000 sf of meeting space. Kungsholmen is a Stockholm suburb, while Kristiansund is an oil and gas 14 MeetingNews manufacturing hub on the central Norwegian coast. Westin to Debut in Peru White Plains, NY—Starwood Hotels & Resorts will bolster its presence in the Peruvian market starting in 2009 with a Luxury Collection property, followed by a 311-room Westin hotel in the capital city of Lima, in early 2010—its first Westin in South America. That year, a second Luxury Collection hotel is expected. The Westin Libertador Lima will be located in the city’s financial district and feature 30,000 sf of meeting space, along with two restaurants. It follows upon another Starwood property, the 431-room Sheraton Lima Hotel & Convention Center, with 47,000 sf of meeting space. Starwood’s two Luxury Collection hotels will have relatively limited group space and be located in Cusco and Urubamba, Peru, respectively. Messe Düsseldorf Gets Bigger Düsseldorf—Messe Düsseldorf, the organization that runs the gigantic convention fairgrounds of the same name, recently opened Hall 8b, adding 138,320 sf of exhibition space and ramping total show space past 3 million sf. According to Messe Düsseldorf, the new show hall was developed to meet increasing exhibitor demand, notably from overseas. The organization says companies outside of Germany account for more than 50 percent of the exhibitors at the fairgrounds. The $75-million, pillar-less Hall 8b will tag team with existing Hall 8A to serve mid-sized conventions and corporate events. The hall has three “seminar areas” ranging from 800 to 2,300 sf, designed for conferences and meetings within an event. But booking the hall might be difficult in the short term. Retroactive to October, it will be in use for 183 days till September 2008—averaging out to every other day—by Messe Düsseldorf’s “big four” trade shows: the “drupa” printing equipment show, the “K” plastics manufacturing exhibition, the interpack packaging show, and the Medica/ComPaMed medical technology fest. H www.meetingnews.com December 3, 2007 http://cqx.sagepub.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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