Tourism authorities in Cuba today strongly criticized the hindrance that the U.S. blockade against the island represents for the travel industry.
A report published in the Granma newspaper on Wednesday points out that it is a limitation that exists. They mention that the Cuban tourism industry, as a driving force for other sectors, has a fundamental impact on the implementation of the National Economic and Social Development Plan and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and its goals.
However, the message insists, external factors such as the economic, commercial and financial blockade by the U.S. government have a negative impact on its growth and development.
The general director of Marketing of the Ministry of Tourism of Cuba (Mintur), Pilar Álvarez, said that, as a result, exchanges with businessmen of that nationality interested in participating in the development of investment projects in the industry have ceased.
Regarding the impact of this policy on commercial, banking and financial operations, the official pointed out that Cuban companies and hotel groups cannot access investment funds and lines of credit of U.S. origin or from other countries that are subject to the actions of U.S. laws and their extraterritorial application.
She said that the cumulative effect of unilateral sanctions by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (OFAC), the inclusion of Cuba on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, and the updating on two occasions of the list of restricted Cuban entities, has a direct impact on the development of the sector.
The official said that these relations included almost all the country's hotel facilities,
Alvarez commented that there is an impediment in the access to different leading sites in the world in the distribution of tourism products, such as the main Global Distribution Systems (GDS) Galileo Worldspan and Sabre, in addition to the elimination of Cuban hotel facilities in platforms such as Trivago, Expedia and Booking.com.
On the other hand, he said that cruise tourism is suffering a significant decrease due to the number of cruise passengers who cannot reach Cuba because of the blockade, generating estimated losses of more than 70 million dollars a year.
She emphasized that in the historic center of Old Havana, the elimination of cruise ships negatively affects local businesses that used to provide services to tourists, resulting in the reduction of staff and the closure of establishments.
The Mintur director explained that among the obstacles that hinder the growth of the tourism sector are the prohibitions on the use of the U.S. dollar as payment currency by U.S. citizens staying in Cuban state-owned hotels.
In spite of this, Alvarez highlighted some alternatives used by the sector to move forward, even with these limitations that, if they do not eliminate the affectation, at least minimize it, the publication concluded.