Despite there being an increasingly growing interest in the sector in terms of innovation, in practice there is no complete understanding of the importance of this tool. Today, Sancti Spíritus is on the path of promoting good practices from science and technology.
The recently concluded Expo-ANIR 2024 showed the potential of the tourism sector to implement science, technology and innovation. (Photo: Facebook).
The weight of Tourism in the country’s economy is undoubted. But the development of this sector requires not only financial resources, but also innovative activity as a necessary ingredient for the search for alternatives that allow it to offer high added value in terms of products, services and other facilities.
In line with these demands, Cuba approved the Tourism Sector Program, with broad participation of entities in the sector, universities and research centers, which sheds light on the novel approach to innovation and its benefits, as it constitutes a growth factor. of income, the quality of offers and customer satisfaction levels in a scenario marked by shortages and other limitations.
This plan is a kind of methodological guide that must be adjusted to the extent of the potential of each territory. In these terms, it can be stated that Sancti Spíritus – without yet catalyzing any project that responds to the strategic lines of this program ratified by the Ministry of Tourism (Mintur) and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (Citma) – is committed to innovation as a growth factor for the leisure and travel industry.
Market studies, online promotion and the presentation of new products that seek to offer unique experiences to vacationers, preserve the environment and promote sustainability, such as agrotourism farms, or all the work done to declare a “smart hotel” to the Meliá Trinidad Peninsula are the result of innovative practices in the province, which manage to differentiate offers and make them more competitive.
However, for Yaneisi González Carpio, Mintur subdelegate in the territory, it is urgent to change mentalities and broaden the vision on marketing issues, for example. “Cuba promotes itself as a unique sun and beach destination; That is why it is vital to expand the accommodation capacities in our hub and promote stay tourism with city, cultural and nature products. The Tourism Territorial Planning Plan conceived it that way, but we are far from that purpose,” she maintains.
Fortunately, today the issue of innovation is tempered with the realities and demands of an activity that contributes just over fifty percent of the income in the province. This rebound would not be possible without the establishment by the Mintur Delegation in Sancti Spíritus of the Technical Advisory Council, which has brought together experts from various social sectors to promote the study of problems that affect services and offer viable solutions in our academy. context.
Other inventions make up for the absence of raw materials that cannot be imported, or allow the recovery of parts that keep the Marlin Marina vessels and climate equipment in the facilities active, to name a few; But how many of them become widespread? What economic impact do they represent? Who is being morally and monetarily stimulated?
We would have to resort to the Science and Technology Forum movement—almost extinct in the sector—to find the answers. Therefore, revitalizing it is one of the first actions proposed and that will not leave aside the Youth Technical Brigades.
Today there are many initiatives that are not widespread, because, among other reasons, companies do not have specialists to attend to the activity. Rosa Margarita Hay Hernández, Senior Science, Technology and Innovation specialist at the Mintur Delegation in Sancti Spíritus, coins this diagnosis that makes clear the capacity and talent of workers in different areas to apply knowledge and creativity.
“One of the purposes is to cover the workforce in each of the tourist centers, as well as carry out the grassroots events as a prelude to the first Forum for Innovation in Tourism, scheduled for the month of September and with the presence of all the actors. economics that intervene in the provision of services,” he explains.
These properties abound with good practices—now it is time to generalize them—for solutions in the areas of maintenance and other services. The creation of new tourist products included in the catalogs of travel agencies, ecological and sustainable cocktails, innovations in gastronomy…
The recently concluded Expo-ANIR 2024 showed many of these potentials, such as the artisanal cereal made at the Iberostar Heritage Grand Trinidad Hotel or the creativity of one of the chefs at Memories Trinidad del Mar in the decoration of the buffet table.
Almost upon completion, the master’s thesis of one of the candidates studying at the territory’s Training Center will provide the procedural manual to implement science, technology and innovation throughout the Sancti Spiritus Tourism system. The school is also a champion in human resources management through job profiles by competence, which is already applied in several entities.
All these initiatives confirm that Sancti Spiritus tourism is on the right track when it comes to promoting an innovative culture. We will have to continue systematizing actions in the effort to optimize processes, create stable supply chains and offer services that respect the natural and cultural environment of the destination. This capacity will serve not only for its own growth and expansion, but also to contribute to the development of other economic sectors.
