CubaPLUS Magazine

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel reiterated the priority tourism has for the island''s development, according Granma newspaper.

The president led a meeting on Friday -the daily reports Monday- of the government commission in charge for the past two years of checking the industry's progress, meeting in which the Head of State urged to strengthen the areas that guarantee the growth of the so-called locomotive of the Cuban economy. In that sense, he indicated to the organizations linked to tourism to rethink this relationship, in order to meet the high demands and needs of the industry. Diaz-Canel mentioned the role of sectors such as agriculture, renewable energy sources, and new technologies, and warned that 'many products that could be produced in the country are still imported.' According to the president, the island has reached an impressive advance in tourism, if one takes into account that in the 90s there were barely 18,000 rooms, while currently there are around 70,000. The president added destination Cuba is appreciated in the whole world, for its good quality such as the comfort of hotels, the beauty of beaches and landscapes and public safety. During the meeting, several ministers briefed on their respective areas related to the development of tourism, such as hotel construction, services at airports and access to new technologies, among other issues.