Companies from six countries attended Havana’s TECNOTUR

Companies from six countries were here for the 15th International Hall on Technology, Products and Services for the Tourist Industry (TECNOTUR 2003) that came to a close Thursday in Havana.

Sponsored by Cuba’s ministries of tourism and foreign trade, the Chamber of Commerce and the International Conference Center, the meeting gathered producers, providers and investors linked to the realm of tourism.

TECNOTUR planners summoned participating companies to showcase their products and get hipped on the latest technological breakthroughs in a number of different areas that help the industry’s current recovery from the crisis it’s still going through worldwide.

TECNOTUR dealt with hotel design and building, furniture, equipment and accessories for tourist facilities, foodstuffs, beverages, liquors and outfits for conference rooms.

In line with the ongoing tourist development and its demands toward higher comfort standards, the tradeshow also bore down on decorations, security and communication systems, recreational outfits, photographic accessories, professional lighting fixtures, video and audio systems, among other gizmos.

Today, tourism is the premiere hard-currency income source for the Cuban economy and is by far the thrusting engine for other sectors. According to official stats, Cuba welcomed 1.7 million travelers and netted $2 billion in gross revenues in 2002. This time around, the island nation expects to have between 1.9 and 2 billion visitors in its tourist facilities.