Government scales back hotel operations due to environmental problems.(Brief Article)

HAVANA -- In a rare triumph of environmentalism over capitalism, the Cuban government in May ordered the partial closure of several hotels on an island because of concerns about pollution.

Cuban sources say the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA) withdrew the operating licenses and forced a partial shutdown of several hotels on Cayo Guillermo. The hotels affected by the move reportedly included the Melia Cayo Guillermo, the newest hotel owned by the Cuban Gran Caribe Group and managed by Spain's Sol Melia group.

The Melia Cayo Guillermo - a 5-star, 316-room hotel - opened last year, joining three other hotels on the picturesque, sandy island. Visited by scores of species of migratory birds from North America, the island is located in the Jardines del Rey archipelago on the north coast of Ciego de Avila province in central Cuba.

Accessible only by sea until recently, Jardines del Rey has been transformed from impenetrable marshy woodlands in the late 1980s into the fastest growing tourist hub in Cuba. Currently, about 9% of all visitors coming to Cuba visit the area.

Built over the last eight years, the nine hotels on Cayo Guillermo and the neighboring Cayo Coco have 3,370 rooms, just under 10% of Cuban capacity. The government has spent heavily on infrastructure for the islands in recent years and has built an airport, causeway linking the islands to the mainland and a water main.

The development has not been without controversy. The causeway linking the islands to the mainland was rebuilt after it was discovered that it was killing the area's mangrove swamps. The current airport replaced another that was in an ecologically-sensitive area, though there are complaints about the current facility as well.

The closure of the hotels reportedly was caused by problems with the sewage systems of the facilities. Sewage from the first three hotels was partially treated in two stabilization ponds. The hotels are the Cojimar (220 rooms), Daiquiri (312 rooms) and Vigia (264 rooms).