By Jay Amberg Bloomberg Lifestyles. Wed, 02 May 2001,
11:17am EDT. Bloomberg.com
Havana, May 1 -- Cuba expects to open a second cruise ship terminal in
Havana this year to accommodate what the government expects will be an increase
in ships visiting the port of Havana, according to a report from the New
York-based U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council Inc.
Alvaro Perez Morales, Cuba's minister of transportation, said while the
location for the new terminal was being evaluated, the existing terminal along
the waterfront in Havana Vieja (old) would soon be expanded to accommodate five
cruise ships rather than four.
According to the council, the government-operated Cubanco SA, a joint
venture between the Cuban Ministry of Transportation and Silares Terminals del
Caribe NV, currently operates cruise ship terminals at the port of Havana, the
port of Santigao de Cuba and on the island of Isla de la Juventud.
The company is constructing a fourth passenger ship terminal at the Cuban
port of Cienfuegos, about a two-hour drive southeast of Havana, the council
said.
Morales said that 11 cruise ships currently include Cuba as a port of call,
with others occasionally docking in Cuba.
The Cuban government said it expects 100,000 cruise ship passengers will
visit this island this year, compared with 76,464 in 2000. Of these, the
government estimates 66,000 passengers disembarked at the port of Havana.
Morales said Cuba estimates a gross profit of about $15 million this year
from cruise ship business (based on the 100,000 passenger figure) compared with
$11.46 million a year ago.
Cuba said 1.7 million tourists visited the island last year, below
government projections of 2 million visitors.
Tourism is Cuba's biggest source of hard currency followed by minerals,
sugar and tobacco.
The U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council is a private not-for- profit
organization in the U.S. that focuses on economic activity in the Republic of
Cuba.
John S. Kavulich II, president of the council, said the council doesn't take
positions with respect to political differences between the U.S. and Cuba.
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