British Firms to Invest $400 million in Cuba, with Priority on New Golf Club
By Pilar Montes
HAVANA TIMES — “It was a very successful mission,” said Lord Hutton of Furness, co-chairman of the Cuba Initiative, after signing direct investment agreements between British and Cuban companies for 400 million dollars.
The legislator headed a trade mission that brought executives from 32 UK companies on an exploratory business visit that led to agreements to invest in the sectors of energy, agriculture and tourism infrastructure, including the construction “of a new golf course” at one of the country’s resort areas.
During their three-day visit, the businessmen met with ministers Rodrigo Malmierca, Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, and Alfredo Lopez, of Energy and Mines, as well as visited the Mariel Special Development Zone, located at a new mega port 45 km west Havana.
After describing the visit as successful, Hutton said that the mission came at the right time and that progress was made.
The golf course, sport much sought after by European and American tourists, and known as the sport of kings, will be the second to be built in Cuba with British capital. The first luxury club being built by Esencia Hotels and Resorts group near Varadero, 140 km east of Havana, at a cost of 350 million dollars.
Germany is the European country sending the most tourists to Cuba, followed by France and England in third place, with 43.222 between January and March 2015. Bilateral trade was 168 million dollars in 2013, the latest official figure published.
The British trade mission was preceded only this month by business persons from Spain, Hungary, Holland, Jamaica and representations of the states of Texas and New York, the latter two encouraged by the process of rapprochement between the governments of the United States and Cuba.
Well you are one of a very rare breed Carlyle MacDuff! I am NOT English, I am Scottish.
The article said: “British”. That to my mind includes Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England.
Investments in tourism benefit the Cuban people very little.
A couple of years ago an economist calculated that 80-87% of tourist revenues were spent on buying foreign inputs.
Even employment seems to become a problem. Spanish hotel groups are now recruiting people in Spain to work in hotels in Cuba:
Source: Meliá selecciona personal para sus hoteles en Cuba –
elEconomista.es –
http://www.eleconomista.es/espana/noticias/6680579/05/15/Melia-selecciona-personal-para-sus-hoteles-en-Cuba.html#.Kku8QqfyTp3RQws
Visitors from England? How many from Scotland? 😉 And Moses first word was ‘ironic’ and rightly so!
Golf: how does that benefit the Cuban people?
I would never claim to be fair or balanced. I am committed to basing my opinions on the truth however. I have nothing to be jealous of. On the contrary, I have all the best that Cuba offers without looking over my shoulder all the time worrying about a dictator. I also don’t want revenge. I just want the Castros out.
Correction Moses – 99.8% of Cuban citizens. I imagine you are aware that three luxury hotel/golf course projects were planned for the western end of Pinar del Rio north of the Guanahabibes peninsula, my wife showed me CDs of them at her school three years ago. My reaction to her was to say that if Cuba wanted to attract the high-end golfers, then they would have to address evening entertainment, not just have an MC, musical groups and dancing competitions. There is no nearby town offering night-life – Sandino and Guane being typical Cuban communities, so my view was that they would need to introduce a Casino. I then explained that these are controlled in Canada by government not the mafia and are a great source of revenue through tax. I think I am correct in saying that one of the projects was Canadian, but a director was jailed for corruption – extra pay to good staff – and the company pulled out. I was at that end of the country in March and it is very rural – lots of horse traffic with stray cows and numerous dogs – endeavoring not to fall into the pot holes.
No jealousy. He’s joint pointing out the irony. …don’t you see it?
As always, Moses, a fair and balanced assessment of a Cuban issue with not a single hint of jealousy or revenge.
Ironic isn’t. That ego – maniacal despot Fidel Castro with the breast milk still fresh on his breath from his Soviet nursemaid, bulldozed over Cuba’s golf courses in 1959 and within his pathetic lifetime Cuba has come full circle. This article marks the occasion of Cuba pulling their pants down and saying to foreign investors “Please come to Cuba and build facilities that 95% of Cuban citizens will not be able to use”. So after 56 years, the triumph of the Castro revolution includes luxury golf resorts for wealthy capitalists. Viva!