Old and new players in the economy expand the portfolio of products to be marketed in Jardines del Rey (Photo: Ortelio)

Among the strengths of the Jardines del Rey destination, in the context of the opening of Cuba to tourist activity this November 15, we can find the contribution of the state and cooperative-peasant sectors that print a genuinely Cuban flavor, with the productive chain and the growing presence of agricultural products of national demand in that emporium. An area that saw imports decrease due to Covid-19 and the economic blockade policy imposed by the United States.

The true potentialities are in the land and they are reflected in the efforts of some twenty-five economic entities that, for now, signed contracts at the recently held Suppliers Fair of that emporium in the north of Ciego de Ávila, with a hotel capacity exceeding the 10,000 rooms.

The Fair became an opportunity for producers of excellence gathered at the Colonial Cayo Coco hotel, a famous facility inaugurated by Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, on November 12, 1993, which marked the beginning of the era of tourism in the northern cays of Cuba.

The meeting was attended by representatives of companies that have traditionally marketed their productions in the country's tourist destinations, such as the Turiguanó Genetic Cattle, the Ceballos Agroindustrial, La Cuba Agro- livestock that, before the arrival of the pandemic, supplied 253 hotel facilities in Cuba; and, for the first time, local projects and mini-industries were added that seek to position their merchandise, including Media Luna and La Ceiba.

The same did the El Placer farm, belonging to the Reinaldo Maning Credit and Services cooperative, with proven links with tourism before the SARS-CoV-2 broke into the national arena, when some 35 partners put more than 70 products, including natural juices and fruits.

Orlando Pérez Pedreira, delegate of Agriculture in Ciego de Ávila, said that the province has potential and possibilities to ensure that contribution. “All the actors can be inserted because there is no monopoly, it is a safe market, which brings with it liquidity capacity and allows the replenishment of resources both for companies and for producers' farms that aspire, in all cases, to further develop and increase productive volumes».

For Sergio Ricaño Pérez, representative of the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba for the northern cays of the Greater Antilles —from Villa Clara to Camagüey—, it is a source of satisfaction that national producers guarantee a large part of the food they consume in these destinations. "It is a mechanism that links, engages, ensures supply and becomes a secure support for service in a network of certified facilities for hygienic and safe tourism."

In the current circumstances, Iyolexis Correa Lorenzo, delegate of the Minister of Tourism in Ciego de Ávila, told Granma that 10 hotels are operating in the Jardines del Rey destination and two more are immediately incorporated: Iberostar Pilar and Mojito Hotel; other facilities will do so gradually, according to the arrival of vacationers to that emporium.

As of the reopening, this November 15, the arrival of more than 30 weekly flights from different destinations, among them, Canada, with 19 operations; Russia with four; Mexico, with one and Argentina is incorporated, figures that will increase the number of seats to more than 50%, in relation to current availability.