New Tours to Cuba Appeal to the Faith-Based Market

As Cuba opens up to more U.S. travelers, there are new opportunities for travel agents to attract faith-based groups to the island.

Faith-based itineraries broaden the potential Cuban market for agents who can also offer clients culture-focused tours about art, cuisine, and architecture with companies such as IsramWorld, Abercrombie & Kent, Grand Circle Foundation, and Smithsonian Journeys.

“Travel to Cuba was forbidden for over 50 years, but it is now legal for Americans under certain guidelines, and we are seeing a tremendous demand,” said Regina Tours president Nick Mancino.

“Our intent is to show people that churches and faith are still very relevant to Cubans.”

Papal visits
Modern day popes have led the way to Cuba for faith travelers.

Pope John Paul II made an official visit to Cuba in 1998 and met with Fidel Castro. Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2012, meeting with both Fidel and Raul Castro.

“There are about ten million Catholics on the island, and we visit churches which have re-opened and [been] restored after they went underground during the revolution,” said Mancino.

Customizable tours
Agents with religious group clients can work with tour operators like Cuban Tours and Travel, a company that assists U.S. churches and other religious groups with customized travel to the country.

Peter Sanchez, president, said agents receive “referral fees” and gain expertise with the documentation that permits travel for Americans.

“Many people want to see the country before Starbucks and other chains pop up on the landscape,” said Sanchez. “We have a lot of clients among people of Greek Orthodox, Episcopalian and Jewish faiths.

“Many are surprised Cuba has Jewish heritage, but there are synagogues all over the island– even though many Jews have left to live in Israel.”

Tour offerings
Sister companies Regina Tours and Journeys Unlimited are offering 2015 tours showcasing Catholic and Protestant Christian heritage, ecclesiastical architecture and the island’s diverse religious culture.

Regina’s “Catholicism in Cuba” eight-day tours depart from Miami, and spotlights Roman Catholic Church heritage dating to 1519.

Travelers can attend daily mass, talk with clergy and church members and learn about Catholic community service projects. Visits to historic churches and other sites, including a convent built in 1718 by a bishop from San Diego, are included.

For travelers with an interest in Cuba’s Protestant culture, Journeys’ “Christian Life in the Culture of Cuba” is also a weeklong trip from Miami. It introduces travelers to Cuba’s multi-cultural society.

After three days in Old Havana – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – groups travel to Matanzas, which is known for its poets, culture and Afro-Cuban folklore. Stops include the Evangelical Theological Seminary and the Christian Center for Reflection and Dialogue in Cadenas.

Other tour activities include meetings with local people and visits to sites that reflect Cuba’s history with the U.S. as well as Spain and Africa.

Inclusive tour prices, based on double occupancy, start at $2,698 and include roundtrip air from Miami, seven nights accommodation, and transfers.