(25 Feb 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Havana, Cuba – 24 February 2025
1. Cohiba Behike cigars on display in Festival
2. Various of businessmen looking at Havana cigars and smoking
3. Cigars trade fair
4. Cigars on display
5. Executive Editor of Cigar Aficionado Magazine, David Savona in interview
6. SOUNDBITE (English) David Savona, executive editor of Cigar Aficionado Magazine:
“There is no way on earth we can talk about cigars and ignore the cigars in Cuba. It would be like a wine magazine, one expected to write about wine while ignoring the wines in France – you can’t do it.”
7. Co-President of Habanos S.A. Luis Sanchez-Harguindey touring the cigar stands
8. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Luis Sánchez Harguindey, Co-President of Habanos S.A.:
“Growing 16% over last year (2024) and reaching a record figure of 827 million, it is difficult to talk about a crisis. There are always complexities in any business, but fortunately, thanks to the strategy we have with our 27 active brands, the truth is that we cannot complain, and we are very satisfied with what we have achieved in 2024.”
9. Various of cigars on display
10. Woman smoking a cigar
STORYLINE:
The XXV Habano Festival opened in Havana on Monday, gathering cigar lovers and distributors from around the world.
Organizers said that 3,300 participants from around 110 countries are expected to attend this year’s festival. Attendees typically include wealthy collectors, distributors from across the globe, expert tasters, and directors of Habano Houses in various capitals planet.
The yearly event opened on Monday with a fair showcasing various products derived from cigar consumption, and it will conclude on Saturday with the traditional auction that attracts wealthy collectors.
This auction typically raises millions of dollars, which, according to the Cuban government, are donated to Cuba’s public services health.
The sale of Cuban cigars, regarded as some of the best cigars in the world, reached 827 million dollars in 2024, with China being the most dynamic market. Following China, the next most valuable markets are Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Germany, according to businessmen from the sector.
Due to U.S. sanctions against Cuba, cigars can’t be sold in that country – considered the world’s largest market for the product.
Cigars are now made all over the world, but Cuba is the birthplace of handmade cigars and many important brands, explained David Savona, executive editor of a specialized cigar magazine published in the United States since 1992.
“There is no way on earth we can talk about cigars without discussing the cigars in Cuba. It would be like a wine magazine that ignored the wines in France,” said Savona.
The festival is organized by Habanos S.A., a joint venture equally shared between the state-owned Cubatabaco and the Iberian-British Altadis. It holds a monopoly on the worldwide commercialization of famous island cigars, such as Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Hoyos de Monterrey, Punch, and Partagás, among a total of 27 brands.
“It is a complex market," said the Vice President of Habanos S.A. Luis Sánchez Harguindey. “But with a sales increase of 16% from last year, we are It is difficult to talk about a crisis. We cannot complain.”
AP Video by Ariel Fernández and Milexsy Durán
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