Tobacco enthusiasts head to Cuba for chance to sample famous cigars скачать в хорошем качестве

Tobacco enthusiasts head to Cuba for chance to sample famous cigars

(27 Feb 2012) 1. Mid of woman rolling cigar at Havana's 14th International Cigar Festival 2. Close up of her hands rolling cigar 3. Wide of stalls and visitors at festival 4. Mid of (left to right) Cuban Co-President of Habanos SA Jorge Luis Fernandez, Cuban Minister of Foreign Investment Rodrigo Malmierca, Spanish Co-President of Habanos SA Buenaventura Jimenez, cutting ribbon to open festival 5. Close up of stand with Romeo y Julieta cigars 6. Tilt up of Romeo y Julieta cigars on display 7. Close up of Cohiba cigars in boxes 8. Mid of Malmierca lighting a cigar 9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Rodrigo Malmierca, Cuban Minister of Foreign Investment: "It is lamentable that because of the economic blockade of the United States against Cuba, the cigars cannot reach everywhere. Our products cannot be in the United States. We are confident that, as with all injustices, one day the blockade will end and our cigars will make it there." 10. Close up of box of Cohiba cigars spinning on display 11. Fernandez, Malmierca, and Jimenez looking at cigars 12. Wide of visitors and media walking through festival 13. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Jorge Luis Fernandez, Cuban Co-President of Habanos SA: "It means that growth is maintained; it's a small growth, but the tendency to grow has been happening from 2010 until now. We are very stimulated, really, because we see the market is responding regardless of the world crisis and despite anti-tobacco legislation which is ever increasing." 14. Wide of contestant showing box of cigars to judge Habanos Sommelier competition 15. Close up of judge smoking cigar STORYLINE: Hundreds of cigar fanatics from all over the world have descended on Cuba's capital to take part in the industry's annual highlight - the Havana Cigar Festival. Deterred by neither distance nor money, the participants pay thousands of dollars to make the yearly pilgrimage to Havana. They visit cigar factories and plantations and network with distributors at trade fairs and seminars. This year's festival was officially opened on Monday by Cuba's Minister of Foreign Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca, and the co-presidents of Cuba's national cigar maker Habanos SA - a joint venture between the Communist-run government and the British-owned, Madrid-based tobacco giant Altadis. Sales of Cuba's famed cigars are hot, despite continued recession fears in Europe, and a US embargo that bars American aficionados from legally lighting up. Malmierca said Washington's embargo was "lamentable", but added that he was confident that in the future Cuban cigars would be legally sold in the US. Habanos SA estimates that the 50-year-old US trade embargo cost Cuba's tobacco industry 79 (m) million US dollars in sales in 2011. Despite that, the company announced on Monday that sales totalled 401 (m) million US dollars in 2011, a 9 percent rise over the previous year. The Cuban Co-President of Habanos SA, Jorge Luis Fernandez, said he was satisfied with the figures. "We are very stimulated, really, because we see the market is responding regardless of the world crisis and despite anti-tobacco legislation which is ever increasing," he said. The company said the jump was in line with that experienced by other global luxury products. Europe remains the top market for such signature Cuban brands as Cohiba, Montecristo, and Romeo y Julieta, but sales in Asian nations including China are growing rapidly. A spokesman for Habanos SA said sales to China have doubled in the last three years, without giving specific figures. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...