The environmental strategy of tourism in Cuba: Towards tourist destinations resilient to climate change

Abstract

Cuba's environmental tourism strategy is a key management tool and a pillar for the sustainability of tourist destinations. Since its approval in 2007, it has been closely linked to national development. In a country where coastal landscapes are an essential component of tourist appeal, integrating natural resource conservation with economic growth presents significant challenges. Through strategic cycles (2007-2010, 2014-2016, 2017-2020, and 2022-2026), Cuban tourism has progressed toward sustainability, reinforcing its commitment to preserving its destinations. This article proposes considerations for updating this strategy within the context of Law No. 150/2022: On the System of Natural Resources and the Environment, and Decree 86/2023: On Addressing Climate Change. The climate approach began to be formally integrated into the 2017-2020 cycle, in response to growing threats such as rising temperatures, rising sea levels, and the intensification of hurricanes. The objective of this study is to analyze the evolution of the tourism environmental strategy since its first edition and to propose key elements for its renewal in the next strategic cycle (2027-2030), with an emphasis on adaptation to climate change and the resilience of coastal tourist destinations. The research is based on historical-logical, analytical-synthetic, and inductive-deductive methods. It highlights the need to progressively coordinate adaptation and mitigation actions in the face of climate change and recommends applying a strategic environmental assessment in the sector, prioritizing the scope of the development plan to 2030.