Oscar Espinosa Chepe
HAVANA, February (www.cubanet.org) - The Cuban tourism industry welcomed
barely 555 more visitors in 2001 than in 2000, said the minister of tourism
Ibrahim Ferrarás in a TV interview here.
The total number of foreign visitors for 2001 was 1,774,541, compared to
1,773,986 the previous year. The industry expected 2 million tourists for the
year.
In 2000, the number of tourists visiting the island grew by more than 10
percent relative to the year before. Yet, gross income in hard currency only
went up 2 percent, according to government sources.
Minister Ferrarás did not provide income figures for 2001. The plan
called for 2230.9 million dollars, which would have represented a 15 percent
increase over 2000.
The poor results in the tourism sector (the main source of income for Cuba)
casts doubt in the forecast of 3 percent growth in GDP announced during the
December session of the National Assembly.
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original en español
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