Cuba, a tourist destination par excellence in the Caribbean region, encourages the opening of new capacities to meet the expected increase in international tourist arrivals.

Add to this the growing demand for domestic tourism, especially during the summer season, during the traditional school holidays in the Caribbean nation.

Indeed, the forecasts for 2019 point to 5.1 million foreign tourists, which is equivalent to a growth of 7 percent and incomes of around three billion dollars.

The agenda of future establishments includes the hotel Paseo del Prado, located at the Havana intersection of Prado and Malecon streets, with its wonderful view of the entrance to the Bay of Havana.

The establishment will be managed by the French chain AccorHotels, and will have ten floors and 250 rooms, 36 of which will be suites, divided into three themes related to dance and native Cuban musical genres such as son and salsa.

The floor of that hotel will have a perimeter terrace to the pier, while the pool and bar will be located on the fourth floor. Floors nine and ten will be reserved exclusively for bars and restaurants.

Another project is the hotel Primera y D, in the capital district of El Vedado, a few meters from Havana's Malecon (seafront drive), where two 27-story towers with 600 rooms will be built.

The new investment scheme allows foreign companies that operate or are interested in managing tourist facilities in the country to negotiate greater contractual facilities with Cuban owners, with a view to recovering their investment sooner.

In addition, Cuba has its major attractions in the sun and beach options, with dozens of kilometers of excellent beaches of warm and crystal-clear waters.

Coupled with this is the growing presence of the non-state sector, where travel agencies have signed contracts with 2,000 private landlords, 400 restaurants and 900 hauliers.

Undoubtedly, tourism is present in more than 100 development areas that have already been identified, with a potential close to 400,000 rooms, although in practice there is only 17 percent of that figure.

In the sector, Cuba has almost three dozen joint ventures in hotels and associated real estate developments, with 100 management contracts covering some 48,000 rooms.

The options for recreation and rest in Cuba are based on the existence of countless natural, historic and cultural sites, which extend their influence to the entire archipelago.

In the cultural sphere, Cuba also has some 120 art galleries, antique shops and art shows, together with 260 museums of the most diverse themes, as well as more than 80 multipurpose theaters.