In the midst of the current turbulent scenario in which Cuba is developing, the development of tourism continues to be one of its challenges, due to its role in economic revival, despite an inveterate enemy: the US blockade, which chases the local leisure industry with special malice.

It’s therefore an undertaking by the Destination to achieve objectives such as increasing air connectivity and relaunching itself as a site with many more options than the sun and beach modality, due to its endorsements in terms of culture, heritage, history, health tourism, quality of life, and ecotourism, whose demand is growing worldwide.

Today, there’s a large segment of people who are looking for outdoor activities, to shake off stress, to dress casual and to give free rein to their desire to exercise cross-country and go to meet beautiful surroundings. Cuba holds nice places for this market.

Such is the order of the Cuban Ministry of Tourism, with the Ecotur S.A. Travel Agency as its receptive, which plans to hold the XIV International Nature Tourism Event (Turnat) 2024 at the end of this month.

This event will emphasize rural, environmentalist, adventure and accessible tourism - always sustainable - with this edition based in the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo from 24-29. The previous meeting took place in the western region two years ago.

According to what was recently revealed at a press conference, the forum program will have six groups of routes, which include visits to farms, hiking, photographic safaris, nautical points, accessible and well-organized tourism.

More than twenty nations confirmed their presence at this congress, such as China, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, and Germany.

Designed for tour operators, it also involves local actors and communities and identifies new attractions and products; and exhibits catalogs to attract potential interested parties.

According to sources from the Organizing Committee to which the Cuban News Agency had access, its delegates will be able to visit 85 destinations, 33 of them in Granma, 32 in Santiago de Cuba and the rest in the well-named Alto Oriente.

Turnat 2024 will have its opening on September 24 at Farallones de Marea Hotel, on Granma; while the closing of the congress will take place at the “Meliá Santiago” Hotel, after arduous days that will illustrate to everyone how Cuba is facing its nature, full of wonders worthy of being admired.

In addition to lectures and other relevant academic exchanges, the possibilities of visiting natural and historical places such as Pico Real del Turquino (the highest elevation in the country, at 1,974 meters above sea level), the Sierra Maestra, Playa Las Coloradas and Gran Piedra are some the favorites. They will see contrasts such as the green of mountain ranges and the navy blue.

Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, admitted that the branch has been developing in these times in very severe conditions due to the media intoxication of the U.S., the absurd, arrogant and perverse measures intensified by the economic, commercial, and financial blockade aimed against the sector, including the closure of cruise services and the pressures on financial agencies, tourism, airlines and suppliers to prevent the sector from operating under normal circumstances.

In this same path, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz has emphasized more than once: “We are the only country in the world to which American citizens, the main source market to the Caribbean, are banned by law from traveling freely as tourists.”

Added to all of the above is the permanence of Cuba on the list of nations supposedly sponsoring terrorism, which also slows down the flow of vacationers to Havana and the rest of the island's vacation spots. That’s why 35 former presidents of Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa sent a letter to Joe Biden asking that the island be finally excluded from that pamphlet.

With a harsh panorama, alternatives are being sought, and the realization of Turnat is another open window that seeks to extend its ties with the most immediate geographic region, which exhibits similar proposals, so this archipelago must put an extra into its strategy.

More than five centuries ago, the magnificence of its nature attracted the attention of the Great Genoese Admiral Christopher Columbus and he spoke in praise of what he saw before him, a source of wealth to diversify his proposal for recreational activities, despite all the sorrows that arise against it.

As the praise for this destination continues, we take those of Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of UN Tourism, who last May praised aspects of the Island such as culture, traditions, history, security, natural beauty and the hospitality of its people.

All the pros and cons mentioned - and many more - have led this territory to conceive the development of tourism as an instrument to improve the quality of life of its population, a great challenge faced because this is the only option.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff