Cuba’s Varadero Gets Set for Tourism Avalanche

With three new hotels, a water park and an 18-hole golf course, among other projects, Cuba’s famous beach resort of Varadero is gearing up to welcome more tourists this year.

Varadero is located on the Hicacos Peninsula, which offers diverse recreational attractions, such as catamaran tours, sport fishing, scuba diving and excursions.

In 2015, the resort welcomed 1.35 million tourists, a 14.2 percent increase compared with the previous year. Canada is the main source of tourists to the Caribbean resort, followed by Germany.

With white-sand beaches kissed by clear turquoise waters, Varadero is visited by more than a third of foreigners who come to Cuba.

Tourism is a strategic sector in Cuban leader Raul Castro’s reform plans to revive the country’s economy.

Cuba’s tourism industry is the island’s second-largest foreign currency earner after the export of technical and professional services and seaside resorts are a key to the development of this industry.