THE © YEAR IX Nº 14 avana eporter NOV 29, 2019 YOUR SOURCE OF NEWS & MORE H R HAVANA, CUBA A Monthly Newspaper of the Prensa Latina News Agency ISSN 2224-5707 Price: 1.00 CUC / 1.00 USD 1.20 CAN The Awaited Tourist UN Reaffirms Vote Against Season in Cuba Blockade P. 2 P. 4 Culture Spotlight Sports The World’s Most Lavish Havana, Real and Wonderful, Cuba´s women wrestlers Cigar Party Celebrates 500 Years P. 6 P. 7 P. 15 2 TOURISM The Awaited Tourist Season in Cuba By Roberto F.CAMPOS HAVANA.- Each year, the tourist season ships. However, the arrival of U.S. in Cuba (November-April) gives a fresh visitors decreased more than 40 percent look to one of the most important sectors due to the Trump Administrations new of the Cuban economy, an industry that economic policy against Cuba. has remained unstoppable. Germany, whose cruise ship ACN Despite the damages of U.S Hamburg was the first to dock in blockade to that sector, 2019 has not Havana this season, France, the United PHOTO: been the exception, as travelers from Kingdom, Italy and Spain contributed many parts of the world come to the one million tourists, accounting for island, eager to get to know it or to 20 percent of the total. Other markets repeat a past visit. with records in tourists’ arrivals were The difference this time around is the Mexico with 21 percent, Russia (30%), new U.S. economic pressures intending China (10%), along with Colombia and to hinder the Cuban tourist industry, Portugal. even though this sector advocates for There is a strong investment peace and tolerance for the whole world, process amid this year’s special regardless of political conflicts. occasion, including 13 new hotels in This is a very special year, as Havana Havana alone. is celebrating 500 years of founding Business opportunities comprise (November 16), with a packed program 170 projects, while 27 joint ventures of activities, cultural events and are already operating, together with conferences to mark that date. The 94 administration contracts and 19 capital receives more than half of the management contracts, accounting tourists that visit Cuba. for 44,000 rooms -62 percent of all the In 2018, 4,732,000 tourists came rooms in the country (over 72,000). to the island, one percent over the That work is complemented by previous year. This year, Cuban 26,000 privately-owned rooms, which authorities ratified the commitment to are in high demand and booked by welcome 4.7 million foreign visitors. tour operators and travel agencies. Canada continues to be the Havana currently has 12,488 rooms, 51 number one market of tourists to the percent of which belong to four and island with 1,109,000 visitors last year, five-star hotels. accounting for a 23 percent increase. This is just a glimpse of the island’s That same year, the United States panorama, which has not stopped but Internet stood as the second issuing market multiplied, as the Cuban Minister of of vacationers, largely through cruise Tourism, Manuel Marrero, once said. PHOTO: For 4 News Headlines per day for just $1CUC / month, Send an SMS with the letters PL to 8100 YOUR SOURCE OF NEWS & MORE SOCIETY.HEALTH & SCIENCE.POLITICS.CULTURE THE ENTERTAINMENT.PHOTO FEATURE.ECONOMY HavanaReporter SPORTS.AND MORE President: Luis Enrique González. Art Direction: Anathais Rodríguez Information Vice President: Moisés Pérez Mok Graphic Designers: Fernando Fernandez Tito Printing: Imprenta Federico Engels Editorial Vice President: Lianet Arias Chief Graphic Editor: Francisco González Publisher: Agencia Informativa Latinoamericana, Prensa Latina, S.A. Chief Editor: Luis Melian Assistant Staff: Yaimara Portuondo Calle E, esq. 19 No. 454, Vedado, La Habana-4, Cuba. English Editor: Mitra Ghaffari Advertising: René García Telephone: (53)7838-3496 / 7832-3578 Translation: Dayamí Interian/ Yanely Interián Circulation: Commercial Department. Fax: (53)7833-3068 E-mail: [email protected] CUBA 3 Italy and Cuba Cooperate to Confront Climate Change HAVANA.- Cuba and Italy recently inaugurated three By RobertoSALOMON UNDP Resident Representative in Cuba Soledad projects following the first stage of the cooperation Bauza said that these projects follow the comprehensive program to confront climate change. Executives agreed vision promoted by the UN 2030 Agenda. that these projects are expected to strengthen bilateral The results will contribute to several of the objectives cooperation in the field. agreed upon on the Sustainable Development Goals, These groundbreaking initiatives, through the Tarea she mentioned. Vida (Life Task) program, cover the following areas: Sea Two of these projects will be based on the Surveillance, ECOATLAS and Engineering Solutions work of the Environment Agency (EA), the Institute for the Havana’s Malecón (seawall). As stated at the of Meteorology (INSTMET) and the Cienfuegos opening conference, this cooperation is based on the Center for Environmental Studies – the two latter, Memorandum of Understanding between the Global prestigious Cuban scientific institutions. On this UNDP and Italy. occasion, the GAMMA Investment Company - an According to Cuban First Deputy Minister of outstanding Cuban consultancy center – will also Sciences, Technology and Environment (CITMA) José join the initiative. Fidel Santana, all three projects have innovative The ECOATLAS and the Sea Surveillance projects content. will have an important impact on the adaptation and They take advantage of technology, new practices UNDP Representative Soledad Bauza mitigation actions that Cuba will conduct. and methodologies through the gradual and Both initiatives foresee the transfer of technology, specialized formation of Cuban human resources, the improvement and diversification of the early-warning official noted. systems, development of adaptation measures’ He also mentioned that this is an opportunity for design based on the ecosystems, and the increase of bilateral cooperation in the framework of the Cuban knowledge about the potential of ocean currents as a State Plan to Face Climate Change – known as Tarea Vida renewable energy source. – that was endorsed by the government on April 2017. Bauza also noted that the project on engineering These projects also include services of high solutions for the Malecón is extremely important for aggregate value and technical assistance, which can the capital, as it will identify and evaluate the feasibility have an impact on the improvement of monitoring of reducing coastal flooding. and research systems related to coastal ecosystems, In statements to The Havana Reporter, Bauza the official added. described the 40-year cooperation of the UNDP and This is an experience that, as usual, the country Cuba as excellent. She also explained that the new five- shares with other small, developing, island states, Internet Latina, Prensa year cooperation cycle – which starts in 2020 – includes especially from the Caribbean, that face the threat of areas such as access to economic development and the similar climate change-related problems. PHOTOS: Deputy Minister Santana country’s resilience to face climate change. Economic Strategy for Development By MarioESQUIVEL HAVANA.- The Cuban economy, which In addition, this initiative involves is currently updating its model, intends a limited number of goods, while the to stop the capital flight and guarantee commercial network will keep the most funds in convertible currency to finance of the supply operating under the Cuban key sectors. peso (CUP) and the convertible peso One of the newest measures is the (CUC). establishment of commercial centers Along with this, the spending that was that operate freely using bank accounts previously going to international markets in USD. can now be collected nationally, thus According to local authorities, the allowing Cuban companies to improve Minister Alejandro Gil plan involves the sale of electrical the handling of resources. appliances and car parts at 75 centers, The freely convertible currencies 13 of which (12 in Havana and one in the would guarantee the replenishment of country’s east) have begun operating as basic products, import and investments part of phase one. in Cuban stores. The Minister of Economy, Alejandro The measure has been implemented Gil, said the profit obtained from those alongside new U.S. restrictions on the operations will be used to carry out Cuban economy, particularly the limit projects of high social impact and to of family remittances and restrictions reactivate the industrial sector. on U.S. airlines that fly between the two Gil ruled out doubts surrounding countries. a possible dollarization of the Cuban Starting on December 10, U.S. flights economy and declared that the U.S. dollar to Cuban destinations other than Havana circulation in cash will not be approved in will be discontinued, resulting in an any form. immediate increase in the price of charter On the contrary, the transactions flights. will be made with magnetic cards and With this step, the Cuban government banks will accept deposits in a number is prioritizing operations that allow for of convertible currencies, such as the the increase in exports and to stimulate Japanese yen, the Canadian dollar, the income in fullyconvertible currency, in Internet Mexican peso, Euros, the Swiss and order to import goods and services that Danish crown, to mention just a few. benefit the population. PHOTOS: 4 CUBA-U.S. UN Reaffirms Vote Against Blockade By IbisFRADE selling food and medicine to Cuba, which Washington’s undeniable isolation the representatives emphasized that the rarely materialize.” was corroborated again at the UN General U.S. blockade poses the main obstacle to sustainable development in Cuba and is a UNITED NATIONS.- For 28th consecutive violation of the human rights of an entire time, the UN General Assembly approved country. a resolution demanding that the U.S. They also condemned the activation blockade against Cuba be lifted, and of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, rejected the hostile policy Washington which allows issuing lawsuits from U.S.