Major restoration project adds intangible value to Havana holidays

Major restoration project adds intangible value to Havana holidays

During 2011, more than 180 buildings have been restored in Old Havana with the main objective of rescuing the city's cultural heritage and providing housing for locals as well as enhancing the city's appeal as a tourist destination and encouraging holidaymakers to book Havana holidays. Including the refurbishment of a theatre and several family houses, these works are part of a major restoration plan carried out by the Office of the Historian of the City (OHC), the organisation appointed by the Cuban government to preserve Havana's heritage. The project, called "The defence of utopia: Concord", is the continuity of a 30-year work, run by OHC in order to promote sustainable development in the old town. The expansion of tourism in the area has played a major role in this respect, since tourism related revenue has been used to fund conservation and social projects in this part of the city over the last 20 years. Currently, more than 60 per cent of Cuba travel programmes include a visit to Old Havana and the surrounding areas. Advances and preliminary results of this initiative have been recently discussed in the "International Congress of Constructed Environment and Sustainable Development" which took place in Havana on 9th December 2011. According to Eusebio Leal Spengler, Director of OHC and Historian of the City of Havana, "we must preserve Havana saving the memory of this part of Cuba". During the event, he presided at the commission named "Monuments of the City of Havana", he discussed various topics concerning the conservation of the architectural heritage of the capital of Cuba. Other subjects debated in the meeting were: the durability of the cities, materials and construction technologies, renewable energies, territorial planning, and issues for the sustainable development of the rural habitat. Over the past two decades, Havana has become one of the major holiday destinations in Cuba and the most visited heritage town in the whole Cuban archipelago. In 2010, the capital of the country saw around 1 176 627 tourists who arrived mainly from Europe and Latin America. Declared World Heritage Site in 1982, Old Havana has been pioneering the implementation of tourism related sustainable programmes in Cuba for eco-friendly Cuba holidays. So far, every business or social initiative conducted in the area has achieved great success in terms of contributing to the preservation of cultural heritage and improving local people's quality of live. In this sense the OHC and the tourism company Habaguanex, deserve major credit. Founded in 1994, Habaguanex is specialised in operating Havana holidays through the management of 20 boutique hotels and over 40 restaurants and cafes in the historic heart of the Cuban capital, also supported by the incoming travel agency, San Cristobal.

Havana Radio News News posted on 2/2/2012 12:07:26 PM

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