Pinar Del Rio Province - Essay Example

MAP OF CUBA MAP OF THE PROVINCE OF PINAR DEL RIO (CASAINCUBA 2012) Pinar Del Rio Province This province is to the extreme western side of Cuba just next to La Habana (Havana). The province constitutes among the most attractive tourist sites, the most amazing environmental and natural heritage sites in Cuba. The province also hosts the Pinar Del Rio City. It showcases one of the three mountain ranges in Cuba called the Cordillera de Guaniguanico. According to CasainCuba (2012), the province is mountainous owing to the ranges with numerous steep and round-topped limestone mountains commonly referred to as ‘mogotes’ that are covered with dense vegetation. At the floor of these mountains and hills lie flat valleys composed of very fertile soils. Interestingly, as tourists enjoy the Aquatic green walk in Pinar Del Rio, they will enjoy one of the ‘mogotes’ near the Valley of Dos Hermanas which depicts a huge painting named the Mural of Prehistory. At the same time, the region boasts of numerous historic caves, which constitute a major tourist attraction in the region. CasainCuba (2012) informs that Pinar Del Rio is the only province that has two internationally recognized ecological biosphere reserves namely Sierra del Rosario and the Peninsula of Guanahacabibes. Two of Cuba’s most significant attractions exist in this province i.e. the Pan de Guajaibón Mountain that stands at 699 meters above sea level higher than any other mountain in western cuba, and the Valley of Vinales commonly referred to as the Cultural Landscape of Mankind, the producers of the best tobacco in the world. Tourists who wish to travel to destinations withon Pinar Del Rio may use several transport options available to them. According to Cave (2013), connecting to Cuba from the United States of America or from the surrounding states such as Haiti, Mexico or Jamaica may use the many forms of water transport such as boats, ferries, and so on, to cross through the Caribbean Sea or the Atlantic Ocean into Cuba. Water transport provides the cheapest form of transport for most tourists although the journey takes slightly longer. The fastest means of transport is by air flights, either direct to destinations such as the City of Havana or indirect flights through the Bahamas, Mexico or Canada (Cave 2013). The Valley of Vinales This is a 132KM2 valley in the province of Pinar Del Rio. According to UNESCO (2013), the geological formation of the Valley of Vinales resulted from weathering of limestone rock, forming a flat valley with numerous rocky outcrops (‘mogotes’) from its base that can rise to an imposing 300 metres. Cubaism (2013) informs that some of the ‘mogotes’ date back to the Jurassic age. The weathering also resulted in formation of numerous spectacular limestone caves. During the slave trade era, African slaves who managed to escape or whose masters freed them, found refuge in these caves. Mountains surround the valley giving it a magnificent look. It is on this valley that Cuba’s famous tobacco thrives. According to TripAdvisor (2013), the trip takes only three hours from the capital city of Havana so tourists can drive directly to the valley as soon as they check into Cuba. On the valley, small rural towns thrive where friendly, multicultural and multiethnic communities coexist amicably. This is in sharp contrast to the historical background of the valley where several military operations took place during the Cuban revolution. UNESCO (2013) informs that some vintage vestiges of an 1882 railroad named the Ferrocarril del Oeste greatly enhance the beauty and authenticity of the valley. Most of the structures that the Spanish colonialists put up still exist in their original form in the valley. They serve as homes. TripAdvisor (2013) also advices that excursions to the valley may be through arranged group tours using commercial companies such as Havana Tours. However, one tourist explains that an excursion into the valley is personally manageable, and therefore a tourist may tour the valley by horse, hired group van, car, motorbike or bicycle or just by walking. Tourist can complete a tour of the valley in about seven hours. Other tourists also report that a trip to the valley from the city of Pinar Del Rio provides tourists with a breathtaking view of the countryside. According to UNESCO (2013), the beauty of the farmlands in the valley originates from the traditional non-machine cultivation and land subdivision styles that give the valley a fresh natural yet neat look. The locals have maintained their traditional faming methods over centuries, for example, animal traction in place of mechanized farming. Although tobacco is the predominant crop, the locals, whose population number about 8,000 people, engage in traditional agriculture in subsistence farming. Interestingly, the local communities have also maintained their traditional culture and lifestyle visible in the architectural styles, traditional music and handicrafts. The locals build their homes using natural materials available locally such as rocks and timber, instead of modern manufactured products. Again, UNESCO (2013) explains that the valley has developed a Caribbean outlook because of artistic paintings and illustration on its walls done by artists such as Domingo Ramos. Another interesting site in the valley according to UNESCO (2013) is the Pan De Azucar where tourist can view the remains of beautiful ruins of the greatest hacienda where slave owners used to teach different skills to their African slaves. A combination of these cultural practices, a blend of Spanish lifestyle, slave trade, traditional agriculture, traditional architecture, music and arts all contribute to giving the valley a huge cultural value to Cubans. The valley is thus a heritage site for the nation. Any tourist who visits the The Valley of Vinales benefits from an exhilarating and wholesome Cuban experience. This is how the Valley of Vinales became a tourist site because its balanced blend of different cultures and historical events is representative of both the history and the current culture of the Cuban people and their heritage. Sierra Del Rosario Reserve This is a range of mountains, which would be of particular interest to tourists visiting Cuba. According to ProtectedPlanet (2013), this range is located in the western part of the Guaniguanico Range in the province of Pinar del Rio. The range is an internationally recognized biosphere reserve, the first one of its kind in Cuba. According to the UNESCO (2013), the Reserve is one of about 500 other such reserves in the world that play a conservative, development and logistical role in the protection of ecosystems, sustainable human and economic development, and research. ProtectedPlanet (2013) informs it comprises of 266.86 KM2 of protected tropical mesic forest hosting over 800 species of flora. The beauty of this reserve is in its evergreen outlook from evergreen foliage, despite the fact that it also hosts a few semi-deciduous trees, owing to its well-balanced moisture conditions. According to the UNESCO (2011), the reserve boasts of a rich diversity of rocks such as the Serpentine rock, providing different soils to the wide array of flora. Of particular interest is the famous little orchid Bletia purpurea with its beautiful pink flower, considered as the symbol of the reserve. Other species of trees and other foliage that tourist will observe are ‘cuabales’, hummocks ‘mogotes’, ‘yagruma’, the royal palm, grasslands, and shrubs. The other interesting species include the thorny xeromorphic thickets that depict special adaptation features such as water-storage in leaves and stems. The other tourist attraction in this reserve is the five species of bats, several types of lizards, and some of the world’s smallest frogs such as the Yellow-Striped Pygmy Eleuth. For the lovers of birds, Sierra Del Rosario Reserve hosts numerous species of birds. According to Cuba Naturaleza (2013), there are over 70 species in the Reserve. In fact there are some endemic birds that will only be found in cuba alone such as the Tocororo, Nightingale, Cuban Tody, Cuban Blackbird and the Cuban woodpecker. Cuba Naturaleza (2013) explains that the semi-deciduous forests found in the highlands grow up to 800 meters high providing a very good habitat for birds such as the olive-capped Wabbler and the Cuban Solitaire. According to the UNESCO (2011), around 2200 people were living in the Sierra Del Rosario Reserve engaged in various socio-economic activities such as agriculture, cattle rearing, reforestation, and eco-tourism and in handicrafts. Tourists who visit the reserve can interact with these people and promote their economic well-being by taking boat rides, guided walks, purchasing hand-made items such as hats, bags, carvings, moldings and so on. UNESCO (2011) informs that a beautiful eco-hotel that blends into the hillsides exists in the reserve so that tourist can enjoy local meals and accommodation. According to Elliott & Neirotti (2008, p.385), tourists may interact with the local people in their homes as they offer them meals and accommodation in government-sanctioned hotels called ‘paladares’. These are small restaurants operated within private homes with a maximum capacity of 12 visitors according to Cuban law. However, locals who operate these restaurants entertain more visitors than the law allows and attend to the in ‘backrooms’. This allows them to remain profitable and at the same time acquire business on large parties of tourists. UNESCO (2011) also informs there is a popular drink for tourists visiting the reserve, namely coffee. Interestingly, there are some small farms within the reserve where locals grow shade coffee, although processing takes place at Buena Vista away from the reserve, where antique coffee-milling machinery still exists. This coffee then finds its way back into the reserve where tourists enjoy one of the world’s finest coffee drinks. TripAdvisor (2013) encourages tourists to sample the Cuban cheese pizzas for the ultimate taste experience. Again, UNESCO (2011) explains that tourists can interact with locals by visiting them in their homes where locals tend to home gardens intended to conserve genetic plant resources. Local people work together with scientists in the reserve to start and maintain rare species and other endemic species in home gardens. Therefore, tourists will be able to interact with some of the species at close range, and thus enjoyed an enriched experience at the reserve. This interaction is both beneficial and detrimental. As earlier discussed, locals benefit from doing business with the tourists. A lot of income comes from sale of handicrafts, ornaments, music, transport services, and so on. Equally, hundreds of jobs emanate directly and indirectly from tourism. On the other hand, tourism has generated lots of social vice in the form of prostitution (Elliott & Neirotti (2008). According to UNESCO (2011) the Cuban government in collaboration with UNESCO and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (UICN) designated and established Sierra Del Rosario as a biosphere reserve on 15th February 1984. Having established it as a biosphere reserve, they provided both the funds and the expertise to begin the conservation, monitoring and research work on the expansive reserve. This way it became a protected area and thus a large array of both flora and fauna thrive here as discussed earlier. That is how Sierra Del Rosario became both a national heritage and a tourist attraction. Tourists can enjoy tours around the reserve using several means of transport. According to Misterio De Tourismo (2013), car transport is available to the reserve. However, eco-tourist may engage in foot hikes in the numerous nature trails within the reserve. For the longer distances, the ministry recommends cycling or riding on horseback. Motivation, Push and Pull factors Motivation is the process of inducing a person to travel to a given destination. According to HubPages (2013), a tourists motivation mainly originates from psychological factors such as the desire to experience a new environment, knowledge, stress, and so on. There are two types of tourism motivation namely cultural and social. Cultural motivation emanates from the desire to experience a different way of living from the one the tourist is used to. Social motivation emanates from the need to interact on a different setting such as travelling away from home, educational exchange, and so on. Pull factors play a great role in motivating a person to travel to a new place. HubPages (2013) explains that these are attractive conditions that evoke the desire to travel to that place such as natural attractions such as volcanic formations, snow, and so on, comfortable living conditions, the cultural practice of the indigenous people, experiences of other people who have already visited the place, safety, good quality service, and so on. On the other hand, push factors are those conditions that an individual experiences that force them to decide to travel. Examples include upsurge in crime, escalating cost of living, disintegrating social fabric, worsening health conditions, bleak future prospects, and so on. Push factors cause a person to develop a negative attitude to their current residence and thus opt to travel to a new destination. The intention is to relocate to a place where this negativity does not exist or it’s at minimal level. Cuba’s geopolitical landscape has generated a lot of interest in many people all over the world, causing an attraction that has resulted in large numbers of tourist travelling to Cuba. Cuba’s history which includes slave trading, Spanish conquest, and the headstrong politics of the firebrand Fidel Castro is a major attraction to tourists from all walks of life. The fact that Cuba has managed to preserve the blend of local culture, African slaves’ culture, Spanish and colonial culture has produced a unique environment for visitors. Its unique landscape as presented by well-preserved natural features such as the ‘mogotes’, the biosphere reserves, tantalizing beaches, unusual wildlife all constitute major pull factors for tourists. The other pull factor is the low cost of tourism in Cuba. Most destinations are accessible by car, foot or horses. Food is available at much lower rates from such establishments as home restaurants. Cuba’s proximity to the USA, Haiti, Jamaica, Canada, and other states makes it a preferred destination for tourists. Push factors mainly emanate from the tourist country of residence. For example the high cost of living in America after the economic meltdown has denied many Americans an opportunity to travel far to unique tourist destinations. Cuba, especially the state of Pinar Del Rio, presents a good solution to this problem. Souvenirs from Pinar Del Rio According to oversees Adventure Travel (2013) some of the most common souvenirs available from Pinar del Rio include; 1. Cigars – The valley of Vinales produces the finest tobacco on earth and for this reason Cuban cigars are great souvenirs. 2. Hand Crafts – There are a lot of hand made items such as trinkets, jingles, drums, flutes, and so on made by the local communites. 3. Hand Made Clothing – These include Cuban hats, traditional head gear, sweaters, head bands, bandanas, and so on. 4. Musical CDs and Tapes – Music is probably the most powerful reminder of Cuban culture especially among the locals who have mostly maintained their traditional lifestyle. Websites The websites that describe the Valley of Pinales in Pinar Del Rio have shown a bias towards tourism. They describe the Valley of Pinales as an attractive tourist destination. Every aspect of the features of the valley is presented in terms of its value to tourists. However, the websites that describe the biosphere reserves have presented them more in a conservation context than a tourist attraction despite their high value in tourism. The purpose of promoting a destination will therefore stem from the intentions of the promoter. If the intentions are economic, then the intention will be to present the destination attractively in order to bring in more tourists. If the intention is conservation especially as seen on the biosphere reserves, then the purpose of the promotion may be to educate, inform and encourage people towards treating the environment well. However, nations may promote certain destination because they take pride in them as cultural and heritage sites, and thus they serve as a form of national identity and pride. Contents of the Promotional Brochure 1. The structure of the brochure would be a 6-part side-fold brochure that the tourist can easily slip into the pocket, a book or even a wallet. 2. The first part would be the front face. It would have an exquisite design with graphics and unique fonts to attract the eyes of the tourist and motivate them to read its contents. 3. Prepare short and exciting descriptions of the Pinar Del Rio biosphere reserves and the Valley of Vinales. These descriptions should lean towards the tourist attractions within these sites. 4. Prepare a beautiful array of photographs of the most outstanding features of Pinar Del Rio. Examples include photos of the ‘mogotes’, birds, tobacco, vintage vestiges, the Valley of Vinales, local people in their traditional setting, hotels, pictures of unique types of Cuban food and drinks, murals, handicrafts, and so on. 5. Prepare a list of available accommodations such as hotels, private homes, cabins, and so on. The list will show the rates of selected hotels so that tourist may have a basic idea of the cost of accommodations. 6. Prepare a list of the most outstanding yet common Cuban food and drinks and the hotels, restaurants and other outlets that offer them. It would also be good to include average prices of such food and drinks. 7. Prepare a list of entertainment spots such as beaches, restaurants, sports clubs, discotheques, and clubs and so on. The list should also indicate when specific events take place such as nightclubs. 8. Prepare a list of transport alternatives available in the province of Pinar Del Rio, the destinations, where they are available and average costs. 9. Describe the availability of tour and guide arrangements for groups and individuals. This description should include the designated routes, possibility of arranging for individual preferences, the availability of a tour guide and an interpreter, and the average costs of the transport, tour guides and interpreters. 10. Prepare a list of shops that sell souvenirs, jewelry and handicrafts. The list should show what each types of shop offers and their location. 11. Indicate the contacts and directions of the offices such as the telephone numbers both local and international, a website, email address and an emergency hotline. References CasaInCuba, 2012. Pinar Del Rio – Cuba Destinations. Casa Particular Cuba. [online]. Available at: < http://www.casaincuba.com/cuba_destinations_pinar_del_rio.htm> Cave, D., 2013. Cuba – Doing it Your Way. Travel – New York Times. [online]. Available at: Cubaism, 2013. Vinales. Travel Guide – Pinar Del Rio, Cuba. [online]. Available at: Cuba Naturaleza Biodiversity, 2013. Birds in Cuba Natulaleza. [online]. Available at: Elliot, S.M., & Neirotti, L.D., 2008. Challenges of Tourism in a Dynamic Island destination: The Case of Cuba. Tourism Geographies: An Internationla Journal of Tourism Space, Place and Environment. 10:3, 375-402 HubPages, 2013. What Motivates People to Travel? [online]. Available at: Map of Cuba, 2013. [online]. Available at: Overseas Adventure Travel, 2013. Cuba: Havana and Vinales Valley. [online]. Available at: < http://www.oattravel.com/trips/2013/cuba-havana-and-vinales- valley/faq/faqs.aspx#tripNav> ProtectedPlanet, 2013. Sierra del Rosario UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve. [online]. Available at: TripAdvisor, 2013. Valle de Vinales. [online]. Available at: UNESCO. 2011a. Biosphere Reserve Information – Sierra Del Rosalio. [online]. Available at: UNESCO, 2013b. FAQ – Biosphere Reserves. [online]. Available at: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 2013c. Vinales Valley. [online]. Available at: < http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/840 > Read More

According to Elliott & Neirotti (2008, p.385), tourists may interact with the local people in their homes as they offer them meals and accommodation in government-sanctioned hotels called ‘paladares’. These are small restaurants operated within private homes with a maximum capacity of 12 visitors according to Cuban law. However, locals who operate these restaurants entertain more visitors than the law allows and attend to the in ‘backrooms’. This allows them to remain profitable and at the same time acquire business on large parties of tourists.

UNESCO (2011) also informs there is a popular drink for tourists visiting the reserve, namely coffee. Interestingly, there are some small farms within the reserve where locals grow shade coffee, although processing takes place at Buena Vista away from the reserve, where antique coffee-milling machinery still exists. This coffee then finds its way back into the reserve where tourists enjoy one of the world’s finest coffee drinks. TripAdvisor (2013) encourages tourists to sample the Cuban cheese pizzas for the ultimate taste experience.

Again, UNESCO (2011) explains that tourists can interact with locals by visiting them in their homes where locals tend to home gardens intended to conserve genetic plant resources. Local people work together with scientists in the reserve to start and maintain rare species and other endemic species in home gardens. Therefore, tourists will be able to interact with some of the species at close range, and thus enjoyed an enriched experience at the reserve. This interaction is both beneficial and detrimental.

As earlier discussed, locals benefit from doing business with the tourists. A lot of income comes from sale of handicrafts, ornaments, music, transport services, and so on. Equally, hundreds of jobs emanate directly and indirectly from tourism. On the other hand, tourism has generated lots of social vice in the form of prostitution (Elliott & Neirotti (2008). According to UNESCO (2011) the Cuban government in collaboration with UNESCO and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (UICN) designated and established Sierra Del Rosario as a biosphere reserve on 15th February 1984.

Having established it as a biosphere reserve, they provided both the funds and the expertise to begin the conservation, monitoring and research work on the expansive reserve. This way it became a protected area and thus a large array of both flora and fauna thrive here as discussed earlier. That is how Sierra Del Rosario became both a national heritage and a tourist attraction. Tourists can enjoy tours around the reserve using several means of transport. According to Misterio De Tourismo (2013), car transport is available to the reserve.

However, eco-tourist may engage in foot hikes in the numerous nature trails within the reserve. For the longer distances, the ministry recommends cycling or riding on horseback. Motivation, Push and Pull factors Motivation is the process of inducing a person to travel to a given destination. According to HubPages (2013), a tourists motivation mainly originates from psychological factors such as the desire to experience a new environment, knowledge, stress, and so on. There are two types of tourism motivation namely cultural and social.

Cultural motivation emanates from the desire to experience a different way of living from the one the tourist is used to. Social motivation emanates from the need to interact on a different setting such as travelling away from home, educational exchange, and so on. Pull factors play a great role in motivating a person to travel to a new place. HubPages (2013) explains that these are attractive conditions that evoke the desire to travel to that place such as natural attractions such as volcanic formations, snow, and so on, comfortable living conditions, the cultural practice of the indigenous people, experiences of other people who have already visited the place, safety, good quality service, and so on.

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