Common Ground Education & Travel Services
People to People Exchanges
Xavier University – January 2 to 10, 2016
SaturdayJanuary 2
Group travels to Miami and overnights at a hotel near the airport. Hotel shuttle service to and from the airport.
5:00 amMeet CG staff person in Miami International Airport and check in with Xael, Concourse G.
9:00 amDepart on K8-426.
10:00 amArrive Havana. Meet drive and guide and drive into Havana with a panoramic overview of the city.
1:00 pmWelcome lunch at LA CALIFORNIA paladar(included).Meet with Dr.C. Hugo Pons Duarte, National Advisor, Cuban National Association of Economists (ANEC) and coordinator of the program for Xavier.
3:00 pmCheck into the Hotel Ambos Mundos.
4:30 pmVisit to the Museum of the Revolution
6:00 pmAfternoon and evening on your own to settle in and explore the area around the Hotel.
SundayJanuary 3
7-8:00 amBreakfast at the hotel.
9:30 amDepart for the farms and fisheries of the privately owned restaurant El Mediterraneo. Tour the farms and talk with staff, famers and administrators about the concept, execution and challenges involved in running Cuba’s first farm to table restaurant.
Mid dayLunch either at the farm or back in Havana at the restaurant (included).
5:00 pmVisit to the San José Craft Market. Exchange with administrator on the operation of the Market.
6:00 pmDrive to the Morro Castle. Dinner on your own at one of several eateries in the
castle, and then gather for the traditional 9:00 pm cannon salute, the cañonazo.
MondayJanuary 4
7-8:00 amBreakfast at the hotel.
9:00 amArrival at ANEC. Explanation of the organization and work of ANEC and introduction to Cuba: Hugo Pons Duarte.
11:00 amOverview and general analysis of the Cuban Economy: Dr. C. Hugo Pons Duarte
12:30 pmBreak
2:00 pmMeeting at the Embassy
3:30 pmVisit to the Literacy Museum, School City the in pre-Revolution times the Camp Columbia Military Base
Discussion with the Museum Director on Cuba’s perspective on the role of literacy in society and the
Cuban system of education, which goes from day care through university and popular education courses
Evening on your own.
TuesdayJanuary 5
7-8:00 amBreakfast at the hotel.
9:00 amSite visit and lecture at the University of Havana with Prof Marta Zaldivar, specialist in business
development, at the School of Business. If possible meet with some MBA students
10:30 amTour of the University of Havana.
11:00 am Meet with representative from the Cuban government
12:30 pmBreak for lunch (students can go into nearby Vedado lunch and take time to explore the downtown area.
2:30 pmSite visit and lecture on Cuba’s banking system: Msc. Ernán Sarmiento, Vice President of ANEC.
4:30 pmVisit to a community development project of the Group for the Comprehensive Development of the City, an urban planning advisory program that sponsors along with the city government 20 physical and social development projects called “Transformation Workshops”.
EveningDinner at ARTE CHEF (included) a restaurant and training center of the Cuban Culinary Association.
WednesdayJanuary 6
9:30 amLecture on Cuba’s foreign investment policy: Lic. Jorge Víctor Núñez Pereira, CANEC Consulting
10:30 amLecture on Cuba’s oil and mining industry, including both domestic and foreign investment: Dr.C. Pons.
11:30 amVisit to the Alamar Housing Project. Tour the project and learn about the history of the housing
project , the housing ideas behind its construction and its past, current and future opportunities and challenges
12:30 pmVisit to EL DIVINO, a privately owned farm. Have lunch at the garden (direct payment)
2:30 pmVisit the State run urban farms in Playa, a project run by the municipal government with an interesting
economic structure . Meet with the administrator.
4:00 pmSuggested meeting time for visit to U.S. Interests Section.
ThursdayJanuary 7
7-8:00 amBreakfast at the hotel.
8:30 amFilm showing and discussion of the new Mariel Port and Free Trade Zone Project: Dr.C. Hugo Pons Duarte, followed by a site visit to Mariel. In Mariel, tour the new development accompanied by Dr. Pons
10:30 amVisit to farming cooperative in Artemisa province. Presentation on the different types of
agricultural cooperatives and private farming opportunities and state support enterprises: MSc.Raúl Oscar Rosa Raveiro, Director, Camilo Cienfuegos Cooperative.
1:00 pmContinue to San Antonio de los Baños for lunch (included). The town along the Ariguanabo River has boasted over its history, past and present, a thermal springs health resort, manufacturing of cigars, clothes and yeast, a sugar refinery, an international film school, and a well known humor festival.
4:00 pmReturn to Havana for a closing activity with Dr. Pons and ANEC.
EveningOn your own.
FridayJanuary 8
7-8:00 amBreakfast at the hotel.
8:30 amDepart for Pinar del Rio and the Viñales Valley.
9:30 amVisit to a Tobacco Factory in Viñales and then a tobacco farm.
12:30 pmLunch in a restaurant at the Wall of Prehistory(included) and then a meeting with MSC. Ricardo Álvarez Pérez, Historian for Viñales
4:00 pmMeet with Dr. Jorge Freddy Ramíirez, professor at FORMATUR , the institution for Cuban tourism, for a discussion of the outlook for tourism in Cuba and the professional requirements.
Return to Havana
SaturdayJanuary 9
7-8:00 amBreakfast at the hotel.
9:30 amTake ferry to the town of Regla across the harbor. Walking tour of Regla with MSc. Joaquín Olivera Romero, Professor CUJAE Institute and consultant on local tourism to the Regla municipal government.
11:30 amReturn to Havana. Walking tour of Old Havana with a specialist from ANEC or from the Office of the
Historian and visit to Arte Corte a small business and business training project.
1:00 pmLunch in Old Havana at LEYENDA HABANA(included)a private restaurant with an innovative concept: Good food for the adults, play area for the children.
3:00 pmVisit the San José crafts market.
7:00 pmFarewell dinnerat CAFÉ LAURENT, (included) with guests from ANEC.
SundayJanuary 10
Early AMCheck out of hotel and drive to José Martí Airport in Havana.
11:00 amDepart on K8-427, arriving in Miami at approximately 12:00 noon. End of program.
Note: Tour operator reserves the right to change accommodations and schedule as local conditions prescribe. We ask you to remain flexible as your hosts in Cuba do their best to ensure your comfort and that the goals of your visit are realized. Please keep in mind that you are traveling to an embargoed country that shares its scarce resources with its citizens as well as with its visitors.