Cuba
Cuba’s tourism ministry (Mintur) recently announced it will launch the Tobacco Trail (or Tobacco Route) in September, during this year’s tourism and nature fair (Turnat) in westernmost Pinar del Rio province, home to the South American country’ lush tobacco plantations.
“We aim to show visitors all the steps involved in an enterprise that has distinguished this province for centuries,” said Deborah Henriquez, Mintur’s provincial delegate.
The Tobacco Trail will begin in the town of Consolacion del Sur, the gateway to the province, and feature the verdant Vinales Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the leaves used to roll Cuba’s world-renowned Habanos are cultivated. Regional tobacco is prized as the world’s finest, said Henriquez, who hopes the new route will help attract more tourists. “We have selected the plantations, the tobacco barns (where leaves are cured), the different facilities of the pre-processing phase, and the experienced producers,” said Henriquez.
While new tobacco sowing methods have been introduced in the region, many traditional farming techniques are still in use, including old-fashioned plows powered by oxen.
Tourists will also visit factories where Cuba’s premium hand-rolled cigars are individually made. The national industry produces some 140 million cigars each year.