Caguanes National Park: Sighting of the endangered Cuban black hawk About 30 kilometers from the city of Yaguajay, in the province of Sancti Spíritus, lies a place that seems frozen in time: Caguanes National Park. Its territory encompasses portions of land and sea, more than 10 caves, and a system of keys and islets known as Cayos de Piedra. However, what is most striking for many visitors and nature experts are its rock formations, shaped over centuries by water erosion. Instead of white sand beaches, there are cliffs and mangroves that create a unique ecosystem. Caves such as Cueva Grande and Cueva de Los Chivos boast archaeological evidence of the area’s indigenous peoples, including Taíno pictographs. The caves also served as a refuge for privateers and smugglers during the colonial era, adding a touch of legend to the place. Biodiversity in its purest form Recently, a new sighting of the endemic Cuban [...]

Artificial intelligence will redefine travel in 2026 Photo: Tara Winstead/ Pexels By: Rachell Cowan Canino The year 2026 will be remembered as the year artificial intelligence (AI) became the central focus of the global tourism industry. What once required hours of searching across multiple platforms is now resolved in seconds thanks to algorithms that anticipate travelers' desires. According to the Simon-Kucher's Global Travel Trends 2026 report, 35% of travelers already use AI tools to plan their routes, a figure that jumps to 50% among Generation Z. In Asian markets, penetration reaches 60-80%, paving the way for the rest of the world. Precedence Research forecasts that the market for generative AI applied to travel will reach $5.8 billion by 2032, driven by its ability to predict fares, recommend accommodation and optimize expenses. The main transformation lies in hyper-personalization. Tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are eroding traffic from traditional searches on [...]

More luxury options on the way in 2026 With Wave season now more than a month underway, one trend is clear: luxury cruises are in high demand. This came up over and over again in my conversations with travel agency leaders and industry analysts at the end of January, and I've heard more of the same this month. I can't say I'm surprised. Wealthy Americans are not only doing just fine but are doing so despite an economy that is having a greater impact on the average consumer. Americans who aren't millionaires are still booking cruises, of course; they're just not doing it as feverishly as those who can afford the luxury products, my sources told me. And those luxury products are particularly abundant this year. After 2025 skewed more heavily toward new contemporary and premium ships, many set to debut this year will join luxury line fleets. Explora Journeys, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, [...]

CTO Official says Tourism Success Inseparable From Caribbean Agriculture The Secretary-General of the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Dona Regis-Prosper, says the future of Caribbean economic stability lies not in the boardroom but in the soil. CTO Secretary General, Dona Regis-Prosper, addressing 54th annual AgriFestAddressing the opening of the 54th annual AgriFest here, Regis-Propser, who is also the CTO chief executive officer, told delegates that modern tourism success remains inseparable from the Caribbean’s agrarian roots. She described the three-day showcase of agriculture and technology as a reckoning with regional identity, noting that “before there were hotels, airports, seaports (and) cruise ships, there was land, soil and cultivation. “Tourism really began in a garden,”  she said, praising the US Virgin Islands for sustaining agriculture as a core pillar of its social and economic fabric rather than treating it as a secondary industry. Regis-Prosper, whose career includes work on St. Croix-based energy projects [...]