Tourism Information

Las Tunas, Cuba

Tourism Information

Located in the eastern region of Cuba, Las Tunas has recently begun to develop its tourist attractions after having been focused upon cattle raising and sugar cane for the last few centuries.

The first tourist facility is located at Covarrubias Beach. Its 120 rooms represent a good start for the tourist industry of the province. Las Tunas features 35 excellent beaches along its 265-kilometer-long coastline. All of them are blessed with crystal-clear waters, white sands and coral reefs. A city like Puerto Padre—one of the most famous and beguiling urban centers in the country—adds another dimension to the region's tourist attractions.

Puerto Padre began to be inhabited as far back as 1869 and was the scene of important battles during the struggle for national independence during the Ten Years War. One the largest sugar mills in the country is also located nearby.

Remarkable historic sites related to the war of independence and to national culture are spread all over this eastern province. Among them are Fuerte de la Loma national monument, a fort built by Spanish troops to fend off the actions of mambises, Cuba's independent army. Another significant monument was erected as a tribute to poet Juan José Nápoles Fajardo, “El Cucalambé”.

Las Tunas is the ninth-largest and the tenth-most-populated province in Cuba. Its economy is mainly based upon the sugar-cane industry and cattle raising. Its incipient industrial development was suddenly curtailed by the Special Period that has affected the entire nation since the early 1990s.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that this province is currently engaged in one of the most important initiatives related to milk production, a project supported by the United Nations Development Plan and the World Food Program. Also of economic importance for the region is the country's most modern steel plant.

Las Tunas has a rich history in the sugar-cane industry, an activity imposed by its former Spanish rulers. However, residents are trying to branch out into other economic fields despite a shortage of natural resources. The vast human potential of the province is its major resource. The people of Las Tunas have a reputation for treating visitors and friends alike with warm hospitality and an abundance of good cheer.