Cuban Minister of Tourism, Manuel Marrero, today described as the partial opening of the Melia Internacional Varadero hotel, located in the most visited seaside resort in the country, as a success.
Details are being finalized in the ‘Planta Real’ (Royal Floor area) and works on the Intercontinental cabaret are concluding, to ensure the official inauguration of the facility at the end of this month, reported the official on his Twitter account.
With a total of 946 rooms, the five-star facility has several restaurants, cafes and swimming pools. During a meeting last week to analyze the sector, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel stressed the importance of tourism for the country’s development.
At that meeting, Marrero revealed that at the end of June, Cuba had 72,965 hotel rooms, of which 2,081 were built in 2019.
By the end of the year, 4,197 new rooms are expected to be added, 97 percent of them in 26 hotels, while the remaining three percent are expansions.
In his recent address to the Cuban Parliament, Marrero announced that the island expects to attract more than 4.3 million visitors this year, out of an initial plan of about five million. In 2018, 4,732,280 tourists arrived in the country.
Cubans Enjoy Vacations Despite U.S. Blockade
Cubans enjoy the summer vacation period today despite the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States, stressed Economy and Planning Minister Alejandro Gil.
In spite of the pressures to strangle our economy, we live #Summer2019 in Cuba. Imperialists, take care of your own problems, which are quite enough,’ posted the official on his Twitter account.
The summer vacation period in Cuba begins in July just after the end of the school year. During July and August, government institutions prepare recreational options for the population, including a cultural program with concerts and other demonstrations throughout the island’s geography.
The Economic Minister added that those who seek to prevent the development of the island will ‘only have bad news,’ in reference to economic measures that began in July with a salary increase for more than 2,700,000 employees and pensioners in the budgeted sector.
In this regard, President Miguel Diaz-Canel announced July 26 that new government decisions will be announced in the coming weeks.
According to the president, a salary reform, a price reform, as well as the unification of the country’s two currencies, among other measures, are forthcoming.
Such decisions, according to the president, are intended to raise the living standards of the population, even in the difficult circumstances imposed by Washington’s siege against Cuba.
