The tourist keys of the central Cuban province of Ciego de Avila they were converted into an area with special regulations, by decision of the Island government.
The Council of Ministers of Cuba approved this designation, as a zone of the type of economic development in the category of Territory of Preferred Tourist Use, in correspondence with the provisions of Decree Law 331 “Of the Zones with Special Regulations”, as reported the Cuban News Agency (ACN).
The area, known as Cayos del Norte de Ciego de Ávila, includes the polygons of Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Coco and the Antón Chico, Antón Grande, Romano and Paredón Grande keys, and also includes the marine waters to the north and between the keys, as reported in the Official Gazette No. 109 from November 4, 2022.
According to what was published, the area’s objectives are “to develop tourist activity, linked to the vocation of sun, beach, nautical and nature with a sustainable, harmonious and planned approach, aimed at promoting the productive chain and the development of the municipality, raising the quality of life of its population.
The regulations also provide a group of regulations, among which are “incorporating the environmental dimension in the projects and activities carried out in the area”, as well as “providing that all investments include in their execution, the conditional described that guarantee environmental preservation and contain from their conception the works, actions and measures induced to solve existing environmental problems”.
Also, guarantee the rational use of water resources and sustainable management in terms of solid waste management, promote the use of alternative energies, and implement a bathing water quality monitoring program that allows establishing measures to protect the health of bathers.
In addition, it establishes that access to the area is limited only for tourist activities with prior reservation or authorization from the government of the territory, as well as for local workers and other authorized personnel.
Cuba: Jardines del Rey is conditioned for the high season of tourism
As for the prohibited actions, these include the extraction of living organisms, except for the capture of sponges and lobsters authorized by the Ministry of the Food Industry, as well as any other activity that deteriorates or causes an impact on the conservation of biodiversity or ecosystems.
Likewise, the construction of new tourist facilities or those of another sector that does not have liquid waste treatment systems is prohibited; the bilge of boats, dumping of liquid and solid waste, as well as hazardous waste; recreational fishing, except that carried out for tourist purposes in the catch and release mode, as well as sport fishing in official events.
According to the Gazette, the governor of the province of Ciego de Ávila is empowered to issue the procedure for applications for access to the area.
The keys of northern Avilanian make up one of the main tourist poles in Cuba, particularly in the sun and beach modality.
According to official data, the sightseeing It represents the second most important sector for the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Island, and occupies the same position among the branches that report the most foreign exchange earnings to the Cuban economy, which is experiencing a severe crisis, aggravated by the impact of the pandemic, US sanctions and internal difficulties and inefficiencies.
The Cuban government recently recognized that the country will not reach the goal of receiving 2.5 million international visitors this year, and lowered the forecast of tourists to 1.7 million at the end of 2022.
