Cuba's state daily Granma says Chinese airlines are strengthening their air connections with Cuba. The daily says Air China is poised to launch a Beijing-Havana route starting in September, citing the Cuban's Ministry of Tourism.

Air China will operate three weekly flights with a stopover in Montreal, Canada, marking the first direct flights between the Asian giant and the Caribbean island. The daily says the new flight has the potential to turn Havana into a hub for Chinese visitors traveling to other parts of Latin America.

According to Cuba's official statistics institute, more than 28,000 Chinese travelers visited Cuba in 2014, a 27-percent increase over the previous year.