Despite being promoted as a flagship product by the Transtur branch, the tourist train in Trinidad has resumed operations at a cost of 840 Cuban pesos, excluding lunch, which makes the experience more expensive for visitors who choose this option to explore the famous city.
The train, an articulated vehicle known as a road train or trackless train, travels through the Valley of the Sugar Mills, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988, as reported this Monday by the state-run newspaper Escambray.
Despite the cost, the tour, called "Getting to Know My Valley," remains popular, according to the official media outlet, which highlighted the resumption of tourist train operations in the Valley of the Ingenios in Trinidad as an achievement.
Part of the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes park and stops at historical sites such as the Mirador del Valle, the Hacienda Buena Vista, Manaca Iznaga, and concludes at the Guachinango estate, where an optional lunch is offered.
This tourist package, organized by the Cubanacán Travel Agency, has attracted both domestic and international visitors since its resumption in April 2023.
The commercial specialist of Transtur, Maireny Medinilla Ortega, stated that the service has been designed to provide a comprehensive cultural and scenic experience.
However, the high price has been a point of controversy, especially during the summer season when the domestic market represents the majority of the clientele.
Additionally, there is the option to extend the itinerary to the Ancón Peninsula, although it was not specified whether this modification would increase the cost of the trip.
In 2022, after two years of inactivity, the tourist train in the Valle de los Ingenios resumed its 20-kilometer route, utilized by both locals and foreigners visiting this heritage site.
Before the COVID-19 epidemic in Cuba, the tourist train operated with four carriages; however, upon its reopening in 2022, it began its journeys with only two.
Although the regime touts this investment and the tourist appeal of the region, in the past, the Cuban government has acknowledged that the city of Trinidad, in Sancti Spíritus, is a tourist destination that does not offer what is necessary to attract visitors.
"Tourists stay an average of only 2.2 days, even though we have attractions that could keep them for up to five," tourism officials noted, according to a report from the official newspaper Escambray.
Recently, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero inaugurated a new five-star hotel in Cuba, the Meliá Trinidad Península.
The opening of the hotel comes at a time of deep economic crisis.
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