Promotion of Sustainable Tourism

Geographical location:

Latin America/Caribbean > Caribbean > Cuba

Summary

The biggest threat to marine conservation in Cuba is the current high volume of tourists, attracted to the beautiful beaches and pristine waters of the ocean. The prospect of a massive growth in mass tourism, should the United States lifts its embargo, could have serious impacts on marine conservation.

Having made marine conservation a priority for WWF Canada’s work in Cuba, this project will directly contribute to securing and ensuring effective management of a network of marine protected areas (MPAs). Canada is the single largest source of tourists, so there is both strong responsibility and leverage to ensure sustainable tourism in Cuba. Effective relationships with Canadian tourism operators may also provide some revenues to support these goals.

Background

Beachside mega-hotel complexes offering packaged ‘sun and sand’ vacations are the dominant tourism model in the Caribbean, Mediterranean and other tropical locations. In fact, package deals to destinations such as Acapulco, Cancun and Barbados account for most of the tourism industry’s annual trillion dollar revenues.

Although on a much smaller scale to that prior to the Revolution when it was a Mecca for American tourists, Cuba’s return to the tourism industry since the 1970s has followed much the same model. Attracted by the sun, beautiful beaches, aquamarine ocean and affordable all-inclusive deals, more and more tourists are flocking to several intensively developed areas including Varadero, Cayo Largo, and Holguin.

Cuba is now host to approximately 1.5 million tourists per year. The official plan is to attract 3 million tourists by 2005, and 10 million by 2010, mainly by building major hotel complexes at already developed areas like Varadero, and at new locations such as the southern keys.

In dramatic contrast to most of its Caribbean neighbours, Cuba's beaches, mangroves, coral reefs and sea grass beds remain relatively well conserved. However, the ecological implications of Cuba’s ambitious plans for growth in the tourism sector are significant since tourism infrastructure and tourist use are fundamentally tied to these coastal and marine ecosystems. This includes impacts on current and candidate project areas (for example, areas in the Sabana-Camaguey archipelago and the Canarreos archipelago) and possible erosion of marine protection rules and requirements.

WWF has a long-standing interest and involvement in tourism issues, stemming from a 30-year history of parks creation, forest and coastal zone conservation and recovery/management of endangered and migratory species. WWF has worked worldwide with the tourism industry to drive forward local engagement in conservation. In areas where mass tourism has caused a negative impact on wildlife species or ecosystems, WWF has offered advice and advanced alternatives.

WWF’s position on tourism recognizes that tourism, including mass tourism, will continue to grow, and focuses on 3 key areas for action:
1. Minimize the impact of mass tourism through appropriate siting of new facilities, infrastructure (re)design, reduced consumption and waste, and sensitivity to the local natural and social environment, with application to both existing and new developments.
2. Significantly increase the proportion of true ecotourism which inflicts minimum impact on the local environment and culture.
3. Ensure tourists and local tourism operators contribute substantively to conservation.

Objectives

Establish laws, policies, economic instruments, infrastructure, educational mechanisms, and behaviour that reduce the impact of current and future tourism operations on Cuba’s marine and coastal ecosystems and advance a network of effectively managed MPAs.

Solution

Given that tourism designations primarily involve beaches and reefs, the potential for impact on Cuba’s relatively well-conserved marine and coastal ecosystems is high.

WWF is taking a positive approach to advance the sustainability and domestic value of tourism and reduce the overall tourism footprint by working with the tourism sector to define and implement ‘greening’ policies and practices, setting criteria for the implementation of real ecotourism, and helping Canadians be responsible tourists in Cuba.