UNESCO promotes community resilience in Trinidad, Cuba, through sustainable tourism and the safeguarding of living heritage

First capacity-building workshop held as part of the Communities for Heritage project in Cuba.

As part of the regional project “Latin America and the Caribbean: Strengthening capacities for resilient communities through sustainable tourism and heritage safeguarding,” UNESCO held the workshop “Communities for Heritage: Heritage Safeguarding and Sustainable Tourism” in the historic center of Trinidad, a Cuban city recognized as a World Heritage Site along with the Valley de los Ingenios since 1988.

The event, which was supported by the Cuban National Commission for UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism of Cuba, the government of Trinidad, the Office of the Conservator of Trinidad, the National Council for Cultural Heritage, and the Network of Offices of the Historian and Conservator of Heritage Cities of Cuba, represented a key milestone in the implementation of the project in this emblematic heritage site.

"This workshop is an opportunity to think about the future. A future where heritage is not only preserved, but also inspires new ways of living in our cities, telling our stories, and building more resilient, creative, and sustainable communities."

Anne Lemaistre, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Havana

"The protection of cultural heritage is not only a matter of preserving buildings, it is also a way of ensuring that local communities benefit from their legacy and can use it as a source of development".

Radelex Cartaya Director of the Office of the Conservator of the City of Trinidad and the Valley of the Sugar Mills

Over several days, the workshop brought together local heritage and tourism stakeholders, including community members, cultural associations, urban planning officials, tour guides, students from the Trinidad School of Tourism, and authorities. The objective was clear: to strengthen collaboration between the culture and tourism sectors to promote community-centered sustainable development.

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The program addressed two main themes:

1. Promoting sustainable tourism and community participation, exploring responsible practices, regulatory frameworks, and strategies for integrating local identity into tourism experiences. Participants designed sustainable itineraries that reflect the cultural values and assets of Trinidad and the Valley of the Sugar Mills.
2. Integrating the safeguarding of living heritage into urban planning, with training sessions for local actors to incorporate intangible heritage into urban development processes. At the end of the workshop, concrete actions were proposed to advance this integration.

Communities are at the heart of heritage management and safeguarding policies and approaches, as they are the ones who create, maintain, and transmit intangible cultural heritage from generation to generation. They also play a key role in the management and supervision of World Heritage properties, contributing significantly to improving the visitor experience.

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In this context, the project supports strategies and mechanisms that recognize and promote community participation in two key areas: visitor management at World Heritage sites and the identification and safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in urban contexts.

This project is part of UNESCO's Culture and Digital Technologies Program, with the generous support of the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.