C

uba is looking to strengthen cooperation with Indonesia despite the vast distance between the two countries with collaboration in sustainable tourism as a potential focus point, in addition to trade and investment.

Cuban Ambassador to Jakarta, Nirsia Castro Guevara, said some 4 million tourists visited Cuba in 2016, an increase from the previous year.

Guevara offered to work together with Indonesia in developing new tourist destinations.

“We would like to see more Indonesians travel to Cuba, not only as tourists but also to seek various opportunities,” she said during a media gathering recently.

“We could cooperate in the health, culture and tourism sectors.”

She added that both countries could exchange experiences and knowledge in developing their respective tourism sectors.

Third secretary of the Embassy of Cuba in Jakarta, Michael Gonzalez Castro, shared Guevara’s vision, boasting Cuba’s multifaceted tourism sector, such as heritage and health tourism.

“We have plenty of knowledge and experience where we can cooperate with Indonesia in developing its 10 new tourist destinations,” he said.

“We have the experience, which we can share with Indonesia.”

Castro cited Havana’s experience in developing its Old Town quarter, the Havana Vieja, which involved residents in cooperation with La Oficina del Historiador.

“A historical agency, La Oficina del Historiador Habana will renovate old buildings in the Old Town quarter but the local people must be committed to helping the effort,” he said.

“This cooperation shows that tourism can also help local people and be more sustainable.”

Castro said there were plenty of cultural events held in Cuba such as Havana’s International Film Festival, the Havana International Jazz Festival, the International Havana Ballet Festival and the Havana Biennial Art Exhibition.

Other events include the Marabana Havana Marathon, the Havana Trade and Investment Forum, to be held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4, and the International Tourism Trade Fair of Latin America, which will be held in Holguin province on Oct. 28 to 31.

Castro said around 4,000 Indonesians visited Cuba in 2015, mostly applying for a visa from Europe or the United States where they resided.

“Roughly 100 Indonesians apply for a visa each year at the [Cuban] Embassy in Jakarta,” he said.

He added that there were a number of Indonesians studying medicine — a field in which Cuba excels in — in Cuba for free.

Meanwhile, to introduce Cuba to more Indonesians, Guevara said the embassy would hold an event in May in cooperation with businesses and the Foreign Ministry.

To be held on May 16 at the Russian Center of Science and Culture on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, the event, themed “Cuba: present and future, a wide range of opportunities,” will commemorate the 57th anniversary of bilateral relations.

During the event, there will be a photo exhibition displaying images of historic events, such as when Indonesia’s first president Sukarno met with Fidel Castro and Che Guevara in Cuba. Other highlights of the event will be a presentation of Cuban culture and a salsa dance performance.

Guevara said the embassy held various activities in cooperation with Indonesian universities to introduce Cuba.

With sound cooperation in the political sector, there were also opportunities to strengthen economic ties, she said.

“The People’s Consultative Assembly Speaker Zulkifli Hasan visited Cuba in June 2016 while the House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Fadli Zon [visited] in December 2016,” she said.

“A group of legislators is also visiting Cuba in May.”

While both countries are located far away from each other, the ambassador was sure that there would always be ways to work together, such as through the Forum for East Asia and Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC).

“Cubans are not used to traveling far but there are Cubans here [in Indonesia],” she said.

Castro said there were about 20 Cubans in Indonesia with half of them working in various sectors in Jakarta.