Cuba to solidify agent relationships

From the neoclassical buildings adorning the Unesco World Heritage Site of Trinidad to the vintage American cars cruising the streets of Old Havana, visiting Cuba is like stepping back in time.

Since the US first imposed an embargo on this Caribbean nation in the 1950s limiting the importing of goods, not much has changed.

Its charming, rustic way of life has seen Cuba top many travel bucket lists, eliciting a growing appetite from the UK travel trade.

Live Cuba is the trade-facing arm of London-based Live Holidays, which has specialised in selling Cuba for more than 16 years.

Fronted by Alan Meadows, formerly trade sales development manager at Cuba Holidays, Live Cuba has been helping agents grow sales to the destination since its inception in July.

“People are unsure about what you can do and what travelling around Cuba involves”

“We want to work with as many agents as possible in 2020,” says Meadows. “I think there is a gap in knowledge with the trade. People are unsure about what you can do and what travelling around Cuba involves.”

With several events and fam trips in the pipeline for next year, Meadows is confident of winning over more support from agents.

“At the moment it’s only me doing store visits in the south-east of England.

“However, we are looking at increasing the size of our on-the-road sales team. We are also launching a system offering agents real-time pricing on the most popular multi-centre itineraries and tours via an online login.”