Cuba's tourist sector, a key element in the national economy, is betting on more foreign capital in its different modalities in order to guarantee the sustained growth of that industry.

The Cuban archipelago offers some 67,000 hotel rooms, and 20,000 will be built by 2020, totaling 104,000 rooms by 2030.

Precisely, that is the deadline to complete the construction of 200 hotels, 24 golf courses with 11 associated hotels, 23 nautical bases and 47 recreational and adventure centers.

All these projects demand the participation of foreign companies, taking into consideration that 87 administration contracts have already been signed with 19 foreign hotel chains.

In addition, 27 joint ventures have been created and 42,275 rooms were built with foreign capital.

Thus the relevance of further including foreign enterprises in the tourist sector's development, because in addition to their funds, they provide the expertise necessary to offer better services and improve Cuba's positioning in international markets.

An example is the group NH Hotel, which started administrating the NH Victoria Hotel in Havana in early 2018, under the Collection brand.

At the same time, the Barceló Hotel Group signed a new administration and commercialization contract with Cuba's Grupo Hotelero Gran Caribe to run the Allegro Palma Real Hotel.

For its part, Meliá International will administer several establishments in the central Cuban province of Cienfuegos.

Another project is a real estate development associated to tourism in the area of Mariel, with a total investment of one billion dollars.

That complex, which is scheduled for completion in five years, will consist of a golf course, three hotels, a convention center and apartments for sale.

In the second semester of 2018, Cuban tourist authorities plan to inaugurate the five-star luxury Packard Hotel, on the corner of Carcel Street and the popular Prado Promenade, in Havana.

The 321-room 10-story hotel will have a shop, meeting halls, several bars and restaurants and a spa with a beauty parlor.

The French chain Accor Hotels, which is considered the largest hotel group in Europe and Latin America, is expanding its operations in Cuba, where it will run the luxury Sofitel So La Habana Hotel, on the corner of Prado Promenade and Malecon Avenue.

The building will have a semi-underground parking lot with capacity for 59 light vehicles and 19 motorcycles, and will be equipped with an air-tight lock to prevent water from flooding the building in case of heavy rains or sea penetrations.