Tourism Industry's Top Event
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
© YEAR VIII THE Nº 8 APR 30, 2018 HAVANA, CUBA ISSN 2224-5707 Price: avana eporter 1.00 CUC H YOUR SOURCE OF NEWSR & MORE 1.00 USD A Bimonthly Newspaper of the Prensa Latina News Agency 1.20 CAN FIT Cuba 2018 Tourism Industry’s Top Event P. 2 Cuban Culural Havana’s Health & Science Cuban Coral Reefs Are Festival Warmly Prado Lions Uniquely Well Preserved Welcomed in P. 5 Washington Economy Vietnamese Companies Focus on Cuba P. 13 Sports Panama’s Russian World Cup Dream P. 7 P. 11 P. 15 2 TOURISM FITCUBA 2018 Tourism Industry’s Top Event Text & Photos by RobertoF. CAMPOS There are also some 2,000 privately- owned restaurants known as ‘Paladares’ HAVANA.- The 38th International and over 21,000 guesthouse rooms. Tourism Fair, FITCuba 2018, to take place Some 34 percent of the total number on the Santa María Key between May 2nd of visitors to Cuba come from Canada and and 6th, will once again provide the ideal when combined with numbers visiting opportunity for tour operators and travel from the United States, the statistic rises agents to update themselves on the to 45 percent. wonders of the Cuban archipelago. Moreover, 33 percent originate in The fair will not only allow trade Europe and 16 percent come from other specialists to make their plans, book Latin American nations. hotels, tours and trips for the rest of the Despite US Governmental restrictions year, but also to get first-hand experience that limit US citizens to travel under one of the continuing growth trend in Cuba’s of 12 licensed categories, a 118 percent tourism industry. increase was recorded in the numbers An enhanced range of options, choosing to visit Cuba. new golf courses, an increased number For the first time ever Cuba welcomed of flights and investments in internal more than 4 million visitors during 2016, transportation for trips and tours greatly surpassing the annual target by nine compliment traditional modalities such percent. In 2017, this figure rose again to as nature, culture and congress tourism. 4.7 million foreign visitors. The previous edition of the fair was held A total of 68 airlines are now flying in the eastern province of Holguín and into Cuba, connecting it with 70 world was attended by 2,600 delegates from cities while 25 cruise ships are operating 41 countries, including 170 specialized on the island. journalists from around the world and The tourist sector includes 25 joint even greater numbers are expected to ventures in 14 hotels and 19 foreign attend this year. management contracts operate 41,000 Cuba’s Tourism Minister Manuel rooms. Marrero highlighted during the last Fair, Taking into consideration these that the country had 67,000 hotel rooms, figures, the forthcoming FITCuba Fair 7,000 of which were renovated last year is expected to be as successful as all its and 2,000 completely rebuilt. previous editions. A Bimonthly Newspaper of the Prensa Latina News Agency SOCIETY.HEALTH & SCIENCE.POLITICS.CULTURE THE YOUR SOURCE OF NEWS & MORE ENTERTAINMENT.PHOTO FEATURE.ECONOMY HavanaReporter SPORTS.AND MORE President: Luis Enrique González. Graphic Designers: Paola A. González Publisher: Agencia Informativa Latinoamericana, Information Vice President: Hector Miranda. Chief Graphic Editor: Francisco González Prensa Latina, S.A. Editorial Vice President: Lianet Arias Advertising: Javier García Calle E, esq. 19 No. 454, Vedado, La Habana-4, Cuba. Chief Editor: Luis Melian Circulation: Commercial Department. Telephone: (53)7838-3496 / 7832-3578 Translation: Dayamí Interian/ Sean J. Clancy/Yanely Printing: Imprenta Federico Engels Fax: (53)7833-3068 Interián E-mail: thehavanareporter@prensa-latina.cu CUBA 3 Cuba’s New Parliament Reaffirms Commitment to Socialism By WaldoMENDILUZA HAVANA.- On April 18-19 Cuba established a new People’s Power National Assembly (Parliament) which is constitutionally the supreme organ of Cuban State power. The 605 newly sworn-in legislators were elected on March 11, when almost 86 percent of registered voters or some 7,400,000 Cuban citizens exercised their right to vote. By the time Cuba’s 2017-2018 general elections closed on April 19, they had covered the election of 15 Provincial Assemblies with 1,265 delegates and 168 Municipal Assemblies with 12,515 town councilors, all directly nominated and elected by the constituents. On April 19, the 605 parliamentarians elected the 31 members of the Council of State, including its President, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, who serves as Head of State and Government. Also elected were the first Vice President, Salvador Valdés Mesa, the five vice presidents, the secretary of the Council of State, as well as the president of the National Assembly, Esteban Lazo Hernández. CUBA’S PARLIAMENT REPRESENTS SOCIALISM IN SAFE HANDS NATIONAL DIVERSITY The newly elected leaders reiterated This newly elected five year-term their will to continue building socialism Parliament includes representatives from and their commitment to the legacy of the worlds of politics, culture, sport, as the historic generation of the Revolution. well as students and members of private A new member of the National and religious sectors. Assembly told The Havana Reporter Each of the country’s 168 that strengthening socialism must be the municipalities is represented in new Parliament’s priority. Parliament. Digna Guerra, the director of According to the National Candidature Cuba’s National Choir and recently Commission, 47 percent of the parliament elected legislator, said that “nothing were nominated and elected by local fundamentally changed on April 19, elections, of which 53.22 percent are because we now go on to build an even women. Cuba’s Parliament is ranked more robust Revolutionary Cuba, thanks second after Rwanda (61.3 percent) to the fact that, after so many years of worldwide regarding the number of struggle, the historic generation has female representatives. handed leadership of this process over to It is also noteworthy that of the 605 our generation.” elected legislators, 338 are serving for the Those who, for decades, have lived first time, 13.2 percent are between 18 under the markedly social project started and 35 years old, 40.6 percent are of black on January 1, 1959 have inherited vital and mixed race origin and more than 86 tools to continue defending the Cuban percent are university graduates. Revolution: principles, power and people’s unity, remarked Guerra, a representative for Centro Habana municipality. Shoemaker and legislator Jorge Luis Romero of Havana's Lisa municipality stated that the continuity of the socialist revolution is guaranteed in the country, as the people are aware of the need of preserving our social progress. “I am a country man, a shoemaker and a member of the National Assembly. This happens only in Cuba, where I feel very calm whenever my kids go to school or when a family member gets sick, because we have free and high-quality education and health.” “This is why the Cuban people defend their Revolution,” he added. EstebanLAZO 4 U.S.- LATIN AMERICA Is the USA Closer to the Americas after the Summit? businesspeople and legislators are in By LuisBRIZUELA favor of lifting that siege and improving bilateral relations. HAVANA.- President Donald Trump’s The Republican also behaved very absence from the 8th Summit of the aggressively against the constitutional Americas held in Lima proved that on government of Venezuelan President the U.S. agenda, Latin America and the Nicolás Maduro by highlighting the Caribbean deserve lesser attention than sanctions imposed against the South other regions. American country and promising new This was the common perception measures of that kind. among press media and analysts who He praised the restrictions adopted by stressed that, by making this decision, the the United States against some 50 former White House chief became the first U.S. and current Latin American officials, president to be absent from a meeting including Maduro, and the executive of this kind, which was first held in 1994 order preventing U.S. nationals to get in Miami, Florida, supported by the petros, the only cryptocurrency on the controversial Organization of American market backed by Venezuela’s physical States. assets. Trump justified the cancellation of his Just like he did during his tour of trip by alluding to the situation in Syria, a Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Panama in country that he had bombed unilaterally August 2017, Pence once more urged the both he hopes that the North America at the end of 2017 revealed that China and without the UN consent alleging regional governments to isolate Caracas Free Trade Agreement –a mechanism has become an important trading an uncertain chemical attack that he through diplomatic and economic means. criticized by Trump- is renegotiated partner for Latin America and the attributed, without any proof at all, to the “The U.S. vice president seems to be soon. Caribbean, with investments totaling Bashar al-Assad government. misinformed; he ignores the reality and According to Pence, he addressed more than 10 billion dollars over the past The real estate tycoon thus put off is concealing the truth,” Cuba’s Foreign the migration issue with Peña Nieto, but five years. what would have been his first visit to the Affairs Minister Bruno Rodríguez thus not the controversial border wall that According to U.S. think tanks and region after nearly 15 months in office, replied to the accusations that neither Trump wants to build and have Mexico conservative sectors, this poses a threat a period when he visited more distant human rights nor democracy are pay for in order to stop the entrance to Washington’s supremacy in what it destinations such as Europe, Asia and the respected in Cuba and Venezuela. of undocumented people that the U.S.