Faced with the collapse of communist Eastern Europe and the USSR in the early ‘90s, Cuba turned to tourism in a desperate bid for cash even though its economy was in shambles, it had little in the way of foreign investment or skilled labor, and the island was surrounded by competition from Florida, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean destinations.

What did Cuba have to offer at the time? A few attractions in Havana, the aging Tropicana nightclub and the Varadero hotel strip all of them lacking in quality services.

Then, someone came up with the idea of transforming the thousands of offshore keys around Cuba into potential tourist hubs.

Cayo Guillermo and Cayo Coco were first on the list, but back then, there wasn’t even a bridge or road connecting them to Ciego de Avila or Morón. A stone road was built, followed by an international airport in Cayo Coco for direct flights, then a marina and later on a small port Puerto Casasa to handle barges and boats up to 2,400 tons.

Today, the area boasts 17 beachfront hotels and villas with a combined 6,000 rooms operated by major hotel conglomerates such as Meliá, Tryp, Iberostar and Pestana.

Since the beginning, Cayo Guillermo and Cayo Coco have received more than 20 million tourists, mostly from Canada, Argentina and Great Britain.

But when one talks of ecotourism in the Western Hemisphere, Costa Rica not Cuba immediately comes to mind.

Even so, these two keys are home to hundreds of animal and marine species. They’re particularly famous for flamingos and crocodiles, as well as one of the world’s largest coral reefs and activities such as hiking, scuba diving and photography.

Similar activities can be enjoyed on Cayo Santa María and the Sabana-Camagüey archipelago, more commonly marketed as Jardines del Rey. Other keys with ecotourist attractions and beaches include Cayo Seitía, Cayo Levisa and Cayo Jutía not to mention Jardines de la Reina, which won praise from CNN’s Anderson Cooper in a recent TV documentary.

Tourists who come to Cayo Coco can visit the Instituto de Investigación y Protección de los Ecosistemas Costeros, which oversees research and conservation work throughout Cuba’s coastal ecosystems. In fact, only 4% of the area of Cayo Guillermo-Cayo Coco may be developed for tourism; the rest is off-limits.

For the last nine years, Cuba has sponsored a global conference under the slogan “Turismo de Naturaleza” (Turnat). Travel agencies, tour operators, scientists and journalists have participated in this annual event. Turnat 2013 took place in the province of Granma, and showcased three national parks: Turquino, Desembardo del Granma and La Bayamesa.
Besides its keys, Cuba boasts 263 protected areas, six UNESCO-nominated biospheres and a network of national parks and cave systems though Pinar del Río may very well be Cuba’s “jewel of ecotourism.”

This could explain why tens of thousands of tourists mostly Europeans are visiting Cuba’s westernmost province every month.

Indeed, Costa Rica continues to be famous for ecotourism, but Cuba isn’t far behind.