Aiming to meet the growing demand of foreign visitors arriving annually to Cuba, the country will have 108,717 new hotel rooms by 2030, Cuba’s Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero said on Monday.
While speaking at the Seventh Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), which began on Saturday, the minister stressed the necessary investment process to raise the standards of Cuba’s existing hotels, as well as the development of diverse offerings such as marinas, real estate and golf courses.
Cuban President Raul Castro acknowledged, during the presentation of his central report on Saturday, that tourism and the export of medical services continued to contribute over the half of the island’s foreign currency income.
Castro said that, between 2011 and 2015, Cuba opened more than 10,900 new rooms and restored 7,000, complementing the offer with the increase of another 14,000 private lodgings.
Last year, Cuba topped 3 million foreign visitors for the first time.
The restoration of diplomatic relations with the United States and U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Havana in March has also opened up new opportunities for Cuba’s tourism industry.
“Within this new scenario, we have seen a substantial increase in tourists as well as progress in negotiations for tourism business deals,” Marrero was quoted by official daily Granma.
