On Apr. 2, 2024, the Cuban Tourism Enterprise Sustainable Development Finance Management Training Course, sponsored by China’s Ministry of Commerce and hosted by the Hainan Provincial Department of Commerce International Cooperation and Exchange Center, opened in Haikou, Hainan, marking the official launch of the province’s foreign aid training mission. The 14-day long course welcomed 24 participants including leaders of the Cuban Ministry of Tourism and other related organizations.

Cuba was the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. On September 28, 1960, the governments of China and Cuba issued a joint communique formally establishing diplomatic relations. Over the 60 years since, the two countries have continued to deepen their sincere friendship and carry out mutually beneficial, win-win projects. China-Cuba relations have become a model of sincere mutual assistance among developing countries.

In Oct. 2023, a delegation from Hainan visited Cuba, making agreements to expand practical cooperation between the two sides in the fields of the humanities, agriculture, the economy, and trade. The Foreign Affairs Office of Hainan and the Pinar del Río Province of Cuba also signed a letter of intent to promote the establishment of sister province relations. In recent years, economic and trade exchanges have been held regularly between Hainan and Cuba. In 2023, the import and export volumes between the two sides totaled 15.273 million yuan, an increase of 192.9% year on year. Hainan’s main exports to Cuba are frozen tilapia fillets, and the main imports are Cuban cigars. The Hainan Provincial Department of Commerce hopes that the Cuban students’ visit to Hainan will serve to deepen understanding, strengthen cooperation, and increase economic and trade exchanges between the two areas.

The theme of the recent training course was sustainable development of finance management for tourism enterprises. Tourism is a pillar industry of Hainan Province, and in recent years the province has been focused on development as an international consumer center as part of the overall plan to become a free trade port. With the goal of developing into a globally influential international travel destination, Hainan has achieved remarkable results in putting travel industry infrastructure into place, creating a tourism product system, and improving travel services. Hainan is also seeking tourism industry cooperation partners all around the world in order to expand international influence and raise the province’s level of tourism industry internationalization. Cuba, an island country with a storied history, unique culture, and scenic landscapes, also has great potential for tourism industry development, especially as Cuba’s historic sites, music culture, and cigar industry are already well-known internationally. The complimentary characteristics of Hainan and Cuba’s tourism industry resources and travel industry development provide a broad space for cooperation.

The training course invited well known experts and scholars to share the latest research results and practical tourism enterprise finance management experience. In addition to the training, a wide variety of field trips and cultural experience activities were arranged inside Hainan and further afield, offering a chance to find out more about China’s reform and development achievements as well as the Hainan FTP’s tourism industry development.