CAMAGÜEY.- Twenty years is nothing, says Carlos Gardel in his tango Volver. It would be necessary to ask them if they believe the same to the workers of the Santa María City Tourism Company , who this December 7 celebrate its two decades of service.
Considered the face of both national and foreign visitors, with an integral tourist product in order to promote the culture and heritage values of the city of Camagüey, in addition to contributing all its dividends to the territory for being a local company, it offers employment, necessary attractions and profits to increase development.
In 20 years, they already have 20 units that provide commerce, gastronomy, photography, accommodation and transportation services in pedicabs, the latter the only ones of their kind in the country.
The 13 gastronomic establishments cover a wide spectrum from coffee shops, restaurants, night recreation center to a store categorized as a specialist house in the sale of Habanos(Cuban cigars).
IT HAS NOT BEEN EASY
In 2014 things got complicated for this group, but with the push of workers and managers they managed to reorient their purchasing policy and selection of suppliers, since that year no more funding has been assigned by Liquidity Certificates (CL ), which means that they cannot make the necessary imports to satisfy customers and raise the quality of services.
But the lack of this financing turned into an effort to seek other providers within the country, just what the Cuban economy is crying out for, the much-needed chains focused on local developments. They have achieved this with mini-industries such as Zamanta, Tínima, paint manufacturers to whom they supply the containers, self-employed workers, credit and service cooperatives and non-agricultural ones.
The strategy was to find national products with similar quality to the imported ones, explains Miguel Ángel Leyva Cruz, general director of Santa María. “We participate in the Fair of demands and negotiations are carried out with each supplier. We have meetings with the locals twice a year ”, he emphasized.
Approved providers only cover an average of between 9 and 13% of the demand necessary for what is registered in the economy plan. At this time, not even with visits, conversations and negotiations, they manage to be supplied with merchandise.
"Bucanero, for example, approved 114 cases of beer for the year, something like 10 hours of service," said Leydis Castellanos Rodríguez, commercial director.
But the magic is such that they have maintained sustained growth with an annual average of 55% in sales, which grow 8.6 times from the application of business improvement. Sales in CUC also rose 25%, with three times what was sold in 2014. Profit has grown with an annual average of 71% and the efficiency with which the company operates has increased 13.5 times .
Photos: Alejandro Rodríguez Leiva / Adelante
MORE CLIENTS, MORE INCOME, BETTER SALARIES
How to maintain an increase in customers in these circumstances? It's easy to say but ... They have improved the corporate image in the units and use information technology in promotion to reach more audiences, improving services with a focus on customers.
Even this year, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, home deliveries and online sales were maintained. This accelerated the management of digital platforms, such as Enzona and Citmatel, where benefits already amount to 77,020 pesos.
"The results revert to sustained growth, with an annual average of 33.4% of the average salary of workers, despite a decrease in 2019," explained Dunia Sánchez Hernández, deputy director.
Stability of human capital, sense of belonging and organizational culture, proactivity, perseverance, identity, responsibility and professionalism, together with a business strategy and continuous improvements in the work and management systems, characterize Santa María.
The Company keeps its accounting certified; since 2012 no criminal acts or administrative corruption have been detected; and since 2014 they have received eight financial audits with good results and have no accounts payable or receivable late.
According to Iliana González Hernández, director of Human Capital, one of the keys to success is the stability of the staff, but as good forecasters they also have an extensive labor reserve, “it is computerized and allows ranking by specialties who is the highest ranked applicant according to the courses, diplomas, cultural level, languages that they master, this gives greater reliability ”, she added.
OF OBSTACLES AND KEYS TO CONTINUE
They are encouraged by the strategy differentiated by currencies, the insertion in sales to companies and the agreement with the Ministry of Tourism for the purchase of some of the inputs from the ITH Marketing Company.
But there are obstacles that the socialist state-owned company still has that Santa María and its people frequently encounter: the rigidity of the planning system, especially in the sales made by suppliers and the lack of foreign exchange; the centralized allocation of energy carriers and raw materials; suppliers with monopoly behavior, which makes it difficult to acquire certain products such as beverages, cigarettes and tobacco, among others.
Resolution 115 of the Ministry of Economy and Planning prevents this company with unique characteristics that the income from exports at the border due to attention to international tourism, generate amounts in accordance with the demands of suppliers.
Despite these difficulties, the Santa María City Tourism Company never ceases to amaze. Their results show that there can be prosperous companies under the conditions imposed on the Cuban economy.
Not in vain they treasure the category of National Vanguard in the years 2016 and 2019.
Twenty years is long enough when you think big to go big. It is not a matter of days, or months, much less years, but of men and women willing to make two decades all it takes to succeed and grow.
Translated by Linet Acuña Quilez