International sales of Cuban cigars in the emerging markets of Asia -Pacific reported significant increases in 2014, managers of the industry told at the opening of the 17th Habano International Festival.

Participants in the 17th Habano International Festival will visit today the tobacco plantations in the province of Pinar del Rio, where they will meet the work of men and women linked to that activity.

The 17th Habano Cigar Festival opens its doors on Monday to over one thousand visitors from 80 countries, who are interested in the development of the Cuban economic sector and in wide array of activities related to the best cigars of the world.

Though the official figures haven't been released, there is a noticeable increase in the flow of international tourists who travel to Cuba this month, a destination that reached three million visitors for the first time in 2014.

The Cuban western province of Matanzas, one of the largest producers of potatoes in the country, will almost double potato yields during the present harvest, according to Agriculture officials.

With favorable indicators of industrial and agricultural efficiency, Villa Clara became the first territory of the country to reach 100 thousand tons of sugar produced in the current harvest, Granma newspaper reported.

The execution of some 11 works for accommodation or recreation is carried out by the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR by its Spanish acronym) for the celebration of 500th anniversary of Remedios, the eighth village founded by the Spaniards in Cuba.

Cuban recreational places and services were presented at one of the most important European tourism fairs, that of Italy.

Turkish Economy minister Nihat Zeybekci expressed his country´s intensions to invest at the special economic zone located in the western port of Mariel and stressed the opportunities for commercial exchange, especially in the areas of tourism, transportation, biotechnology and industry.

A Cuban business delegation visited the Saudi city of Riad to explore, along with Saudi entrepreneurs, business opportunities and possibilities to develop joint ventures, according to diplomatic sources.

The use of modern Chinese technology to upgrade a Cuban solar panel production plant will result in considerably production increase of that facility, thus helping the installation of high-quality solar panel systems.

Cuba will attend the 35th International Tourism Fair of Milan to take place February 12-14 in the interest of further strengthening links between Cuban tourism and Italian collaborators.

Cuban Domestic Trade Minister, Mary Blanca Ortega, said in central Cienfuegos city that the transfer of state-owned catering and service businesses keeps well underway throughout the country and it may take up to three years.

The leasing of 462 restaurants, cafes, and entities that provide other services, to their 1,107 workers, is part of the activities developed in the province of Villa Clara in the last year, as part of the new measures that are undertaken for the revival of the sector.