Cuba launches the Fiesta de Colores, a commitment to inclusive tourism

Cuba has launched the inaugural edition of the Fiesta de Colores (Festival of Colors), an event organized by Havanatur that marks a new step in the strategy to develop LGBTIQ+ tourism across the archipelago. The program combines destination promotion, academic exchanges, and experiences tailored to this segment of the international market.

This initiative is part of a new business line at Havanatur, designed to leverage the country’s tourism potential and promote offerings that embrace diversity.

Agustín Adrián Pérez González, deputy director of Optional Services for Havanatur Occidente, explained to the press that the Fiesta de Colores serves as the flagship product of their Pride tourism line—the result of over five years of market research conducted by the branch and the Havanatur international tour operator and travel agency group.

According to the deputy director, the strategy includes events of this nature, as well as excursions, tour circuits, and other offerings open to the LGBTIQ+ community, both in Cuba and globally.

Meanwhile, Raúl Gerardo Pérez Pacheco—founding partner and director of Operations at Be Proud Travel, an agency specializing in LGBTIQ+ tourism with operations in Mexico and other international markets—spoke about the enthusiasm with which they approached this first edition.

“Our primary goal is to develop products in destinations that allow us the freedom to be who we are. We believe that, today, Cuba is a place that offers us that freedom,” he stated.

The Be Proud Travel director noted that they reached this conclusion following a comparative study involving other Caribbean islands. “This is one of the primary islands where marriage equality is now permitted, as is legal gender transition. It is significant and a major step forward for us as an LGBTQ+ community,” he argued.

Pérez Pacheco expressed his desire that the Fiesta de Colores continue in further editions, noting that the possibility of holding a second edition in 2027 is being explored, with the prospect of organizing two such events annually during different seasons.

He also highlighted Cuba’s hotel infrastructure—citing destinations like Varadero, Cayo Coco, and Cayo Santa María—which, in his view, possess the necessary qualities to compete within the Caribbean resort market.

The inaugural Fiesta de Colores includes participants from Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, and Cuba. The organizers hope that the images and experiences generated during the event will help expand international promotion for future editions.

Lessner Gómez, director general of Marketing for Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism (Mintur), noted that the country has been actively promoting this segment through properties such as the Rainbow Hotel in Cayo Guillermo and the Hotel Telégrafo in Havana. He also pointed to promotional initiatives carried out in Canada, developed in collaboration with organizations linked to Toronto Pride and the Latinx community.

The experience has also drawn interest from international media professionals. Alice Rose, a Canadian filmmaker, writer and journalist attending the event, spoke from her own perspective about the importance of finding destinations where queer and racialized individuals can travel together with greater peace of mind. While she reserved her final assessment for the end of the trip, she described her initial interactions as welcoming. In the coming days, the event’s program will feature an exchange with specialists from the National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX)—an institution dedicated to education, research, and care—which focuses on comprehensive sexuality education, the promotion of human rights, and the fight against all forms of violence.

Participants will also enjoy a panoramic city tour of the capital, artistic performances, visits in Matanzas to projects designed to foster inclusion through cultural diversity, the coastal attractions of Varadero, and other activities curated specifically for this event. Through the Fiesta, Havanatur aims to expand its product portfolio and strengthen Cuba’s presence in a market that seeks tourism experiences centered on diversity, inclusion, and respect for variou