Two Cuban beaches among the best in the world

HAVANA, Cuba, Jun 10 (ACN) Varadero, in the western province of Matanzas, and Cayo Santa Maria, in the central Villa Clara, are among the best beaches in the world in 2025, according to a report by the research group on coastal systems of the international training center for beach management and certification, based in Chile.

The coastlines of the Meliá Las Antillas, Meliá Internacional, Ensenachos and Caracol hotels, in the Hicacos Peninsula, Perla Movida, La Estrella, Perla Blanca and Meliá Las Dunas, in Cayo Santa María and Las Salinas, in Trinidad, appear in the ranking for their quality in terms of recreation, protection, conservation and sanitation.

More than 70 experts from several countries took into account a methodology that combines ecological, social, cultural and economic indicators, which allowed for a systemic analysis of beaches as complex and strategic territories.

The document presented by the aforementioned research group states that it was a rigorous application of the Beach Prioritization Framework and in this year's edition they evaluated 200 beaches in 11 countries in the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula, with the work of 71 specialized evaluators - including oceanographers, geographers, engineers, public managers and other specialists, according to the Cuba News Agency.

This process involved technical diagnoses, field studies, the use of geospatial data and the active listening of local communities, and it was also possible to know the criteria of the specialists on the best beaches of the Atlantic, Pacific and Caribbean, where Varadero, Cayo Santa Maria, Trinidad and Holguin stand out.

Participants in the international research expressed that, unlike purely tourist classifications based on subjective perceptions, this classification proposes a deeper reading of coastal spaces, taking into account attributes such as bathing, biodiversity, accessibility, safety, infrastructure, climate resilience and ecosystem services.

The beach, therefore, is understood as a dynamic socio-natural system whose value transcends leisure and encompasses multiple environmental and socio-cultural functions, agree the academics, from countries such as Chile, Spain, Brazil, Portugal, Peru and Cuba, among others.