The Nicaraguan Chamber of Tobacco has announced that Puro Sabor 2021, the cigar festival held in Nicaragua, has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chamber has announced it will work on a series of virtual visits to cigar factories and classes hosted by the leaders of the Nicaraguan Cigar Industry.

“Our priority is the care we want to give to our people in the factories and to the people who would have visited us for the festival. The evolution of COVID-19 is still unpredictable, so we believe we have made the best decision,” said Claudio Sgroi, president of the Nicaraguan Chamber of Tobacco Growers in a press release.

“It is a responsible and conscious measure,” added Sgroi, “The cancellation of the festival does not mean that we are inactive”, said Sgroi, “on the contrary, we are preparing for the next few months virtual factory tours and personalized virtual master classes with experts and manufacturers of the most prestigious Nicaraguan brands.”

It’s the second time in three years that Puro Sabor has been cancelled. In 2019, the festival was cancelled due to the political unrest that had been taking place in the country in the months leading up to the festival.