Economy
The government has talked about social tourism for three years. Through tourism agency Venezolana de Turismo (Venetur) it offers packages to travel in Venezuela and abroad (there is one offer to travel to Cuba, paying in Venezuelan bolivars and without affecting the quota allocated by the Foreign Exchange Administration Commission (Cadivi)) with the goal of improving people's quality of life in the transition to the 21st century socialism.

The development of this program is part of the argument used by the government to justify nationalizations and seizures of hotels. The government is managing nowadays nine hotels throughout the country, including the recently expropriated Margarita Hilton Hotel. The Decree No. 6,962, which ordered the forced acquisition of this resort located in the state of Nueva Esparta, reaffirms the socialist goal: "the State has the duty to provide accommodations for priority tourism activities … (based on) the policy of social and economic inclusion ... with a revolutionary quality in the construction of socialism."

However, the rates of the hotels managed by Venetur do not match the inclusion model trumpeted by government officials, as shown by the rates paid by individual clients. In most cases, the price of a standard room for two people, with breakfast, is similar to the rate offered by five-star private hotels.

Translated by Gerardo Cárdenas

María Gabriela Aguzzi V.
EL UNIVERSAL