Cuba trade fair showcases Mariel Port project

[HAVANA] The 31st Havana International Trade Fair opened on Sunday with the focus on Cuba's new Mariel Port special development zone in a bid to attract more foreign investment.

About 1,400 companies from more than 60 countries are attending this year's fair, making it the largest edition in the past 11 years, with the greatest number of exhibitors from Spain, Venezuela, Brazil, South Korea, Panama and Germany, organisers said.

The week-long fair, which runs till Saturday, features the presentation of new products, including three types of rum and cigars, but the central attraction is the Mariel Port, which is poised to become one of the largest container shipping port in the Caribbean after an expansion of the Panama Canal is completed in 2015.