Cuba – Page 2 – आवारा मुसाफिर

Cuban tourism industry flounders as sunseekers look elsewhere

February 19, 2022457 Views

Cuba is struggling to reawaken its tourism industry after months of pandemic-induced slumber as travelers stay away, threatening to derail the government's plan to haul the economy out of a deepening crisis. The communist-run island, long a popular Caribbean destination, has been betting on tourism to power 4% economic growth this year after the coronavirus pandemic slashed output, resulting in food and medicine shortages and power outages, and contributing to the largest anti-government protests since Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution. Taxi drivers manoeuvre vintage cars as they wait for tourists in Havana, Cuba, February 16, 2022. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli Unlike many regional neighbors, some analysts believe Cuba erred on the side of caution in response to COVID-19. It kept its bo...

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Cuba names East Los Colorados archipelago a protected area

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

January 29, 2022738 Views

Cuba’s newest protected area covers 281 square miles (728 square kilometers) of vibrant mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and climate-resilient corals - plus spawning sites for several economically important species of groupers and mutton, cubera, and gray snappers Cuba has just declared Este del Archipiélago de Los Colorados (“East of Los Colorados Archipelago”), a new marine protected area. This new MPA covers about half of one of the four major archipelagos surrounding the country, and hosts exceptional marine life including Antillean manatees, American crocodiles, and critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtles. Hawksbill sea turtle. Photo: Ocean Image Bank © Gregory Piper/WCS Establishment of this new protected area is a result of years of collective effort from communities, ...

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Tourists trickle in to Cuba following pandemic slumber

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

November 25, 20211261 Views

Cuban tourism operators breathed a sigh of relief this week as the first tourists in months returned to sip mojitos and snap selfies in vintage cars in the capital Havana, providing a much-needed shot in the arm to the Caribbean island's ailing economy. Communist-run Cuba has vaccinated nearly its entire population with home-grown inoculations, prompting authorities last week to re-open the country's borders to tourism after a nearly two-year hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic. Tourists from Russia walk in downtown Havana, Cuba, November 24, 2021. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini New infections have dropped off sharply across the country in recent weeks, according to official statistics. The Bodeguita del Medio, a restaurant-bar that claims to be the birthplace of the mojito co...

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Romantic encounters between zoo animals surge during quarantine quiet

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

October 29, 2021747 Views

Zookeepers at Cuba's National Zoo in capital Havana say several species of exotic and endangered animals took advantage of the peace and quiet brought on by the coronavirus pandemic for romantic encounters that resulted in a bumper crop of baby animals. The newborns include leopards, bengal tigers, zebras, giraffes, antelopes and oxen, a rarity officials attribute to the many months the zoo was closed during the pandemic, said zoo veterinarian Rachel Ortiz. A visitor's car passes by rhinoceros at the zoo in Havana, Cuba, October 27, 2021. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini "Although the pandemic has been negative for humans, in the case of zoos it was beneficial," Ortiz told Reuters. "In particular our park has had more than 10 births of high-value species, in danger of extinction and t...

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Climate change shrinking marine life richness near equator

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

April 6, 20211008 Views

During some summers, as the Caribbean water temperatures climb, the luminous coral colonies of gold, green and blue that ring the island nation of Cuba give way to patches of skeletal white. The technicolor streaks of darting tropical fish flash less frequently. The rasping sounds of lobsters go quiet. While Cuba’s marine life has suffered from overfishing and pollution, there is mounting evidence that the warming of waters due to climate change may be taking a large toll as well -- both off the island’s coast and globally. A view of a coral colony on the coast of Havana, Cuba, March 28, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah Marsh Research published Monday finds that the total number of open-water species declined by about half in the 40 years up to 2010 in tropical marine zones worldwide. Duri...

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Cuba’s tourism workers reinvent themselves as lockdown lingers

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

April 2, 2021993 Views

Trumpeter Carlos Sanchez serenaded tourists in Old Havana for 30 years, earning handsome tips - until the coronavirus pandemic hit and Cuba closed its borders a year ago on April 1. Now the 57-year-old ekes out a living repairing fans. The global vaccination drive is sparking hopes worldwide of a tourism rebirth this summer, yet Cubans like Sanchez are not holding their breath as the Caribbean island goes through its worst outbreak yet and enforces tight travel and lockdown restrictions. Instead, they are practicing the Cuban philosophy of “resolver” - finding a way to get by despite all the obstacles - used mostly in relation to the burden imposed by U.S. sanctions and a state-run economy but also, now, the pandemic. Trumpet player Carlos Sanchez announces his fan reparations se...