Virgin Atlantic Airways have started direct flights from the UK to Cuba that are expected to boost growing British tourism to the communist-run Caribbean island. “This is good for Cuba, because British tourism has become our second most-important market after Canada,” said Cuban Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero, at the airport to meet Branson on the inaugural flight. Tourism generates 40 percent of Cuba’s foreign currency earnings. Cuba hosted a record 2 million tourists last year.

Virgin Atlantic’s rival British Airways stopped flying to Havana three years ago. The number of British tourists visiting Cuba rose 35 percent in the first quarter of 2005, to 43,900 arrivals. British visitors have outnumbered Italian, French and German tourists this year, Cuban officials said.

Branson said Virgin Atlantic expects to carry 42,000 passengers to Cuba in the first year, flying a Boeing 747-400 twice a week from London’s Gatwick Airport to Havana. The airline could be flying 150,000 to 200,000 people a year to Cuba within three to four years, he estimated.