The Cuban archipelago, a stronghold for tourism in the Caribbean, extends its options for leisure beyond the large island, to a wide range of keys and islets.
In the zone off central Villa Clara province, which includes the keys Santa Maria, Ensenachos and Las Brujas, the plan of territorial ordering envisaged the construction of 13,084 rooms and only 2,512 have to be completed on Las Brujas.
Moreover, some 10,500 rooms distributed in 17 hotels are already in operation under the management of world-renowned foreign chains such as Melia, Iberostar, Blau and Blue Diamond.
A 48-kilometer causeway over the sea connects the largest island of the Cuban archipelago with the keys Santa Maria, Las Brujas, Ensenachos, Cobos, Maja, Fragoso, Frances, Las Picuas and Español de Adentro, among others.
In addition to the region's tourism potential, there are unparalleled conditions as the region is a safe haven for the flora and fauna, where the so-called rat hutia, as well as other endemic varieties such as lizards, mollusks and the arriero bird, are exclusively found.
A canal system becomes a true water maze between the keys, while offering enormous potential for tourism programs like bird watching and nautical activities.
Other singularities of the region are on the boat San Pascual, stranded in the vicinity of Cayo Frances for almost 70 years and turned into a naval rarity as it was made of reinforced concrete and thrown into the water in 1920 at the shipyards of San Francisco, California.
Meanwhile, the investment program in Jardines del Rey (King's Gardens) includes the keys Coco, Guillermo, Paredon Grande and Anton Chico, where 24,670 rooms will be built in those ecosystems.
The exuberant nature led Conqueror Diego Velazquez to name that place in homage to the Spanish King Fernando the Catholic.
The main islet, Cayo Coco, ranks fourth in extension in the Cuban archipelago, with an area of 370 square kilometers and the additional attraction offered by 22 kilometers of excellent beaches, which are complemented by a vegetation of mangroves and coconut trees.
Numerous colonies of flamingos and other migratory birds choose the aforementioned islets as their stopover, a situation that man has been responsible for preserving with the construction of an infrastructure for tourism that seeks, in the first place, to respect the natural environment.
With seabeds protected by a coral reef that is considered to be the second largest in the world, 8,090 rooms operate now in 22 establishments, 18 of which are hotels.
Jardines del Rey combines large areas of forests, with 145 species of plants and about 165 animal species, hence the additional attraction of the hotels in that tourist destination.
The integration of nature with buildings to accommodate visitors shows the possibility of developing sustainable tourism, in perfect harmony with the environment.
In the region of Camagüey, planning until 2030 contemplates the construction of 32,172 rooms on the keys Cruz, Megano Grande, Romano, Sabinal and Guajaba.