Spanish Co. Opens 6th Varadero Hotel

HAVANA TIMES, Sept. 9 – The Spanish chain Iberostar Hotels & Resorts announced the opening of its sixth hotel on the peninsula of Varadero, Cuba’s leading beach resort, located 75 miles from Havana.  The Laguna Azul (Blue Lake) Hotel is a five-star facility with 814 rooms, reported the Diario de Mallorca, Spain newspaper.

Cuban authorities say the island’s tourism industry has held its own in the global economic crisis with a slight increase in visitors during the first semester of 2009, despite reporting a drop in per-visitor spending.