The Ho Chi Minh delegation visits a primary school named after Ho Chi Minh in Havana. (Source: sggp.org.vn)Hanoi (VNA) - The Tourism Departmentof Ho Chi Minh City and Cuba’s Tourism Ministry, along with travel businessesof both sides have inked cooperation deals aiming to create a legal foundationfor organising tours to the Caribbean nation, according to Sai Gon Giai phongnewspaper.
The documents, which were signed during avisit to Cuba from May 31 to June 7 by a delegation from Ho Chi Minh City, willalso assist Vietnamese businesses which want to build hotels and resorts inCuba.
The Cuban side will also take part intourism promotion activities and international tourism events in HCM City.
At a working session with Cuban DeputyTourism Minister Louis Sanchez during the visit, head of the HCM Citydelegation - Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phongbriefed his host on the city’s socio-economic development, as well as potentialfor tourism cooperation between Cuba and the Vietnamese city.
Sanchez said 2017 was a record year forCuba’s tourism sector as the country welcomed more than 4 million visitors, up16.8 percent year-on-year, earning 3 billion USD.
Over the past decade, thanks to investmentsin tourism, Cuba has tripled its market share in the Caribbean region, theminister said.
He stressed that Cuba is said to havepotential to become the second biggest tourist destination in Central America,after Mexico, with the number of holidaymakers forecast to amount to 12 millionin the next few years.
To serve the booming sector, Cuba aims tobuild 103,000 rooms and develop more services by 2030, according to theofficial.
Sanchez expressed his hope that followingthe visit, HCM City will invest in many projects in Cuba, besides the twoexisting tourism projects of Vietnam.
While in Cuba, the HCM City delegation wasreceived by Jose Ramon Balaguer, Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC) CentralCommittee and head of the CPC Central Committee’s Department of ExternalRelations.
Phonginformed his host about outcomes of his working sessions over the past days,especially the conference to promote trade, investment and tourism ties betweenHCM City and Cuba.
Thetwo sides talked about Party building and exchanged experience in economicreform and development.
TheVietnamese delegation also made a trip to Mariel, Cuba’s first special economiczone established in 2014.
Locatedin Artemisa province, about 45km east of the Cuban capital city of Havana, the465.4 sq.km zone features seaports, industrial parks, urban areas and tourism facilities.
Marielhas licensed 35 projects valued at 1.2 billion USD, including two from Vietnamesefirms – the Thai Binh Investment and Trading Corporation and the ViglaceraCorporation.
Duringthe trip, the participating businesses from HCM City raised questions on theissuance of land use right certificates, land lease duration, tax preferencesand priority projects.
Thedelegation also visited a primary school named after Ho Chi Minh in Havana anda village named after Vietnam’s Ben Tre province in Artemisa province.-VNA
VNA
