Havana, December 25 (RHC)-- The French airline Corsair International has increased its presence on the Cuban market, with the opening of a new route that connects Paris with Cuba's Central Villa Clara province.

The weekly flight includes a short stopover in Havana, before returning back to the French capital.

Local news outlets said the new route will benefit tourism development and exchanges between the EU nation and the Caribbean state.  Corsair International Director for the Caribbean Samuel Vivares said the French company has plans to further increase its operations in Cuba, which they consider an important tourism destination.

Corsair International began to operate flights to Cuba in June this year, with a route between Paris and Havana that initially has two weekly flights.

Another route was opened during the winter season, connecting Paris and Cuba's famous tourist resort of Varadero, in Central Matanzas province.

“Corsair International” is a regular French airline, specializing in long-haul flights, which is also a subsidiary of the TUI group in France, employing 1,150 employees and carrying 1.2 million passengers a year to the Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Canada and West Africa.

Its flights to the island are added to those operated by the French airlines Air France, with nine frequencies, and Air Caraibes, which since December 2016 travels from Paris to Havana on Fridays and also to Santiago de Cuba.

French tourism has shown a “boom” to the Caribbean nation, which broke a record in 2016 with a total flow of 180,000 visitors and a 32 percent increase over 2015, according to data from the Cuban Tourism Ministry.