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.