Virtual Habano Festival awakens interest in the international market

The next Habano Festival, which will be held virtually next week, has aroused interest from the international tobacco market and professionals from the sector from several countries.

The well-known Habano Festival will be held in a virtual version from May 4 to 6, taking into account the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, it was officially reported. Smokers and fans of Habanos have paid their attention to the event, where every year the data of the Cuban industry are presented and the most outstanding news from the island’s factories are presented, among other already common initiatives, and which receives an average of more than 1,000 attendees from some 70 nations.

The records made by experts, merchants and smokers from Uruguay, Argentina, Russia, the United States, Spain and the United Kingdom for the virtual event show the interest generated by the Festival on social networks and the internet. In November 2020, Habanos SA reported that it had been decided to suspend the XXIII Habano Festival, scheduled for February 2021, due to the emergency situation caused worldwide by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the note announcing the suspension, Habanos pointed out that “this company, as the world market leader, is already working to surprise Habano fans in 2021, the year in which our most prestigious brand, Cohiba, turns 55 anniversary».

As reported by the Cuban authorities, despite the pandemic, Cuban exports continue, with changes in the way they are distributed, and instead of using the airway, they use shipping companies.

The virtual version that will be held next week is called Habanos World Days. As reported by Habanos SA, registrations are still open on the habanosworlddays.com page.

The event is dedicated to the 55 years of the Cohiba brand. The call will serve to exclusively know some of the presentations of news for 2021. The program includes Habanos Premier, presentations and videos that will be shown exclusively at a designated date and time.

From their live publication, they will be accessible on the platform itself to be seen by smokers from any country. In addition, a virtual fair will be held with a stand where Habanos SA will exhibit some of its novelties for the year. Major companies from the premium tobacco, accessories and luxury goods sector will participate.

The Habanos World Challenge contest will have its reduced version during this virtual event. Competitors will be able to measure their knowledge of Cuban tobacco, especially Cohiba. On this occasion, the visits to factories and plantations will be virtual, as well as three-dimensional (3D) infographics and detailed information about the sector.

Cuba is the most prominent country in the production of premium cigars due to the combination of soil, climate and experience of tobacco producers. The Habano Festival had its antecedent in 1994 at a smokers’ dinner in Havana, and in 1999 it became the event that annually brings together international representatives of the sector in the Cuban capital.