Alejandro Varela, deputy director of UNWTO Regional Programme for the Americas, praised Cuba's work today in meeting the global objectives for the sustainable development of tourism industry.

With the unveiling of the plaque "For a tourism of peace and security" in homage to the historic speech given by the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, the International Fair of Tourism FitCuba 2017 was inaugurated at Playa Pesquero Hotel in Holguìn.

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.

Cubanacan and Iberostar groups, from Cuba and Spain respectively, signed an agreement today in which the Iberian company will manage the hotels of the Holguin city of Gibara, declared new tourist destination of the Caribbean country.

After a brief evaluation of the behavior of the Economy Plan during the first quarter of this year, Ricardo Cabrisas, Cuba´s Minister of Economy and Planning, presented the proposal of guidelines for the elaboration of the Plan of the Economy and the Budget of the State for 2018, in which it was considered to consolidate and guarantee the continuity and sustainability of what was approved in the 2017 Plan.

The issue of economic damages caused to the country by irregularities in foreign trade operations returned to the agenda of the meeting of the Council of Ministers, this time with problems reported or identified during 2016.

The Provincial event on women economists was held on Wednesday in Havana with the objective to promote their results in the sector and recognize their important role in the country's economy.

Cuba and Turkey expressed on Monday in Havana their interest in increasing bilateral trade currently not enough in face of the broad potential in sectors like industry, telecommunications, tourism and agriculture.

The First Trade Convention will is to debate economic development in Cuba starting from the improvement of new management models, said a representative of the organizing committee.

Some 210,000 tonnes of charcoal shipped Ciego de Ávila to Europe in just over a decade with the aim of improving the Cuban economy and increasing financial capacity for industrial plans and agriculture.

The Food Production Company (PRODAL), in this capital, has opened a modern sausage production plant, which makes possible to substitute imports and deliver a larger volume of food to the population.

Rodrigo Malmierca, Cuba´s Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, reaffirmed that the economic, commercial and financial blockade, imposed by United States on Cuba, is one of the main obstacles for the normalization of relations between both countries.

Cuba's Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz toured on Tuesday the streets of Holguin to evaluate the construction process in that eastern city in preparation for the International Tourism Fair (FitCuba 2017).

The First Trade Convention will spark debate, exchange and dialog in the role of trade and services in the country's economic development starting from the updating of new management models for the sector.