Tampa business leaders hope to strengthen ties with Cuba

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Sunday, 12.04.11
Tampa business leaders hope to strengthen ties with Cuba

Since the first charter flights from Tampa to Cuba in nearly 50 years began, business leaders have been reaching out to the island nation and even invited Cuban diplomats to visit.

By MIMI WHITEFIELD
[e-mail]

The first charter flight from Tampa International Airport to Cuba in nearly 50 years took off Sept. 8 — the feast day of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre, Cuba’s patron saint — and since then, Tampa hasn’t quite been the same.

There has been a flurry of Cuba-related activity in the Tampa Bay area — the likes of which would be hard to imagine in South Florida — starting with the letter of friendly greetings that the Tampa City Council sent to Ricardo Alarcón, president of Cuba’s National Assembly.

Since charter service began, the president of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce says he’s planning a trip to Cuba, there’s been an invitation extended to Cuban diplomats in Washington to visit Tampa business leaders, the Tampa-based Florida Orchestra sent a contingent of musicians to Cuba on a cultural exchange and the Tampa Port Authority held a seminar on potential trade opportunities with the island.

Meanwhile, plans to try to position Tampa as the gateway for travel and trade with Cuba gain momentum in the business community.

More:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/04/2531731/tampa-business-leaders-hope-to.html