Las ciudades patrimoniales cubanas como producto turístico

Abstract

Demand analysis has confirmed the predominance of sun, sea and sand tourism in Cuba. Nevertheless, specialisation and differentiation of both the tourist product and the complementary offer are key to reaching larger segments of the tourism market. At the same time, Cuba must fight off increasing competition from other nearby destinations which may put up serious competition in terms of sun, sea and sand products but which prove woefully lacking in terms of culture and heritage. The future evolution of tourist demand for Cuba reinforces the growing interest in its patrimonial resources. Thus, Cuba's ancestral towns and cities must implement and/or continue to develop strategies to promote tourism practices relating to culture and heritage, in which the city is the main arena. Nevertheless, the processes involved in qualifying urban spaces as tourism products must be based on integrating such processes into the general improvement of citizens' quality of life (more infrastructures and facilities) and the specific improvement of sites and spaces -- everyday spaces as well as tourist spaces, whilst maintaining authenticity and, as far as possible, preserving the customs that have been turned into tourist products.