Ecobreves – A Boost for Tourism

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

HAVANA, Jan 14 2001 (IPS) - The Cuban government's official drive to expand eco-tourism could reach the island's network of national parks, which, say experts, have the necessary conditions to attract a great number of visitors. Eco-tourism will involve some 50 million travelers in the world in the next 10 years, according to international market studies cited by the Cuban national center for protected areas.

The center mentions the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park as one of the most promising sites for eco-tourism in Cuba. The park covers 70,000 hectares of mountains, mesas, plains, bays and coral reefs.

There, future tourists may enjoy the Toa River, one of six biosphere reserves in the Caribbean designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).