In a 10-year deal, Sunwing Travel Group's Blue Diamond Resorts will be responsible for managing all 11 hotels - totalling 1,348 rooms -- on the beach-blessed Cuban island of Cayo Largo, off the nation's south coast.
Cuba is Sunwing's biggest destination, and Sunwing is Cuba's largest single source of tourists. Blue Diamond has expanded at lightning speed to become the island's second-largest hotelier. That special, long-earned relationship was the catalyst for the agreement, which Blue Diamond says gives it broad scope to deliver a high-quality product.
The deal has been public since FIT Cuba back in May, but more details were revealed yesterday at a north Toronto event for travel advisors dubbed "Sunwing Loves Cuba."
In an interview with TravelPulse Canada prior to the luncheon, Sunwing EVP Strategic Partnerships Eric Rodriguez and Blue Diamond Resorts Managing Director Mohamad Fawzi discussed the opportunity on Cayo Largo, which will be exclusively offered in Canada by Sunwing.
"It's a great destination, very well known in Quebec, and we're excited to put it back on the map," said Rodriguez. "We have an important international importation licence which will enable us to bring in the kind of foods Canadians love, and we have a long-term agreement that will enable us to really develop the product."
Fawzi says Blue Diamond plans to build a 250-room Royalton property on Cayo Largo, with a 2025-2026 opening date. Existing hotels will be rebranded with Blue Diamond flags including Grand Memories, Sanctuary at Grand Memories, Memories and Starfish.
"It's a boutique destination just a 3-3.5 hour flight from Toronto. The drive to the hotels ranges from three to eleven minutes. You could leave at noon and be on the beach at 4:00," said Fawzi.
The largest hotel, which will be rebranded as Starfish Cayo Largo, has 307 rooms, Grand Memories Cayo Largo has 306 plus 45 at the Sanctuary at Grand Memories. Memories Cayo Largo has 296. The remaining seven 'Villa' properties range in size from 23 to 100 rooms.
Having visited twice, this writer can attest that Cayo Largo is ideal for beach, diving and snorkelling lovers, or those who want to escape to a tranquil, uncrowded beach destination. The water is crystal clear and the marine life plentiful. The beaches are spectacular, with clothing-optional choices available.
Cayo Largo has been closed to tourists for more than two years, so Sunwing will be busy preparing for the first guests arriving in November, when the operator will relaunch direct flights.
Sunwing's Cuba program is much broader than Cayo Largo, of course and representatives of several major Cuban hotel groups were on hand at the 'Sunwing Loves Cuba' event.
Hopes are high for a strong winter, with Rodriguez telling TravelPulse Canada that pent-up demand is real, with early bookings running well ahead of 2018-2019 pre-pandemic levels.
The Sunwing executive also said the Cuban government is listening carefully to the needs and desires of international travellers, even more so since former Minister of Tourism Manuel Marrero Cruz became Prime Minister - a newly reinstated position in the Cuban government -- in 2019.
Rodriguez says the country is working on digitizing entry documents so visitors won't have to fill them out on the plane and Sunwing Airlines won't have to distribute them. He also believes access to WiFi at hotels and resorts will soon be much more comparable to other destinations.
With one of the most highly-vaccinated populations in the world, Cuba is also positioning itself as a 'safe' destination, which may still be a significant factor in attracting Canadian travellers this coming winter.
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