The Most Beautiful Land

The first presentation of the 23rd Tourism Convention now underway in Varadero’s Plaza America Conference Center dealt with Holguin, a region teeming with highlands, fertile plains and beaches of powder-thin sand, the same place that inspired Genoa-born Admiral Christopher Columbus to dub it the most beautiful land human eyes had ever beheld.

Around 73 percent of hotel rooms in this tourist destination are pigeonholed in the four-star and five-star categories. As a whole, the circuit is growing at a 19 percent average annual rate.

More recently, Holguin has been the destination of choice among Spanish, Canadian, German and British travelers. However, the Canadian and Spanish markets comprise 48 and 26 percent respectively of the total number of vacationers.

According to authorities from the sector, ecological and nature tourism provide the perfect setting for the enjoyment of natural ambiances, as well as the history and culture of a city that features such major sightseeing spots as Bariay, the location where Columbus landed on in 1492. Other interesting sites are Chorro de Maita, Banes –penciled in as Cuba’s archeological capital- and the town of Holguin.

During the presentation of the destination, local tourist authorities highlighted the potentials of a circuit that embraces nearly 1,200 rooms run by hotel group Cubanacan in Guardalavaca Beach, 776 accommodations in Esmeralda owned by Gaviota and as many as 1,733 rooms in Playa Pesquero.

“Nautical activities and scuba diving are going strong, and now we count on an international marina and a couple of international diving schools. Yet, Holguin also has four hotels exclusively reserved for events, congresses and incentives, plus five travel agencies and capabilities to organize yearly scientific events, among other conclaves. We just can’t forget that Holguin is outfitted with an airport in which more than thirteen carriers from all over the world fly in and out of it.”