HAVANA, Cuba, May 3 (acn) Cuba reached today two million visitors; 39 days earlier than the same date last year, and a 15 percent growth, said Manuel Marrero, Tourism Minister, at the inauguration of the 37th International Tourism Fair, FitCuba 2017.
At Playa Pesquero hotel, headquarter of the event, the minister announced the favorable outcome in the presence of Dr. Armgard Wippler, head of the Division General Issues on SME Policy of Germany, honor guess country, and Party and Government authorities of the eastern province.
Marrero said that by the end of the first quarter of the year, the regions with the largest number of travelers were North America (45 percent of increase), Europe (33) and Latin America (16) and added that arrivals from USA increased in 18 percent, despite the fact that the US blockade prohibits citizens of that nation from making tourism trips to the Caribbean island.
According to Marrero, due to such a boom, we are working to add new facilities, increase the quality of services and destinations, for which we study the incorporation of Sagua la Grande, in Villa Clara province, and on Tuesday, Gibara city, in Holguin, was presented as tourist product.
To increase the accommodation capacity of the country, which has 65,000 rooms, he said that investments are prioritized in Viñales, Santa Clara, Cienfuegos, Camagüey, Bayamo, Holguin, Santiago de Cuba and Havana, where the Grand Hotel Manzana Kempinski, the first top luxury facility of a series being built in the capital, will open soon.
Also, in order to raise the standards in the provision of services, he announced that a group of Cuban hotels will be managed by important foreign chains, contracts that will be signed during FitCuba 2017 between the Cuban groups Gran Caribe and Cubanacan with the Spanish Meliá and Iberostar companies, respectively.
He emphasized that the Cuban chain Islazul has advanced negotiations for the transfer of the administration of its facilities located in Camagüey province, while the Ministry also evaluates other business modalities for the management of the hotels in Viñales and Trinidad towns.
Marrero added that in the context of the fair, Cuba Golf will sign several letters of intent with foreign companies for the joint development of projects in Holguin, Cienfuegos and Trinidad.
Regarding the association with the non-state sector, he stated that there are already more than 21,000 houses providing lodging and gastronomic services, and 2,000 private restaurants, as well as 19 non-agricultural cooperatives.
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