The Chinese tourism group Ctrip plans to increase operations in Cuba, according to executives from the company who are here in Cuba on a six-day working visit.

Founded in 1999 in Shanghai and listed on NASDAQ in 2003, Ctrip.com International Ltd. is China’s leading tourism group.

The company has 17 branch offices in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other major cities throughout China, providing over 300 million registered members with comprehensive services including hotel reservations, flight ticketing, packaged tours and corporate travel management. It has more than 25 million foreign members and supports 13 foreign languages.

In statements to Prensa Latina, Ctrip Project Manager Phoenix Du highlighted Cuba's potentialities, noting a growing interest among holidaymakers, above all Chinese tourists and Asians in general, in travel to Cuba.

The company's regional manager for Latin America, Poppy Yang, highlighted Cuba's attractions, especially people's kindness and the beauty of the country’s natural landscapes.

Ctrip Market Manager Cecilia Dong said that the Ctrip team has already met with executives from the Cubanacan group and other Cuban tourism authorities. They have also toured places of interest in Havana and Viñales, in western Pinar del Río province, where they also visited the community Las Terrazas. Other visits include the world-famous Varadero resort, located some 140 kilometers east of the Cuban capital.