Havana - The blockade imposed on Cuba by the Government of the United States affects the development of tourism in the Caribbean island because it increases the prices of products and imposes sanctions, an executive from the sector said in Havana on Friday.

By imposing commercial restrictions, that policy hinders the acquisition of everything we need to keep the standards of quality in each of our establishments, the quality manager at the Iberostar Parque Central Hotel, Ivan de Armas, told Prensa Latina.

The hotels' star category demands inputs and possibilities that the blockade does not allow us to acquire sometimes, said the executive of the hotel, which was certified by the Cuban Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA) for its excellent work in eliminating ozone depleting substances.

Despite that brutal policy, Cuba has developed safe and sustainable tourism and foreign holidaymakers appreciate that when they investigate about the destination they are going to visit, he added.

An example of that is the joint work we did for several years to replace equipment that used refrigerant gases that deplete the ozone layer, he commented.

Thanks to that action, we have already replaced all equipment that used ozone depleting substances to function.

Iberostar is a brand that protects the environment, the seas and the ozone layer, the executive pointed out.

Recently, the Cuban Foreign Ministry published Resolution 72/4 of the United Nations General Assembly, entitled 'Necessity to End the Economic Commercial and Financial Blockade Imposed by the United States of America on Cuba'.

The document explains the damage caused by that unilateral measures between April 2017 and March 2018.

On October 31, Cuba will submit the draft resolution that demands an end to the US blockade for the twenty-seventh time at the UN General Assembly.