Amazing World Heritage in the Caribbean

Bermuda world heritage

The Caribbean has fortunately been blessed with a very rich and unique tapestry of natural and cultural heritage of which it can be proud.  Achieving UNESCO World Heritage Site status, however, has the potential to bring a significant level of global prestige and recognition of sites of great significance and value to a country and the wider world. 

While it can provide such countries, as tourist destinations, with invaluable resource attraction, marketing, public relations, and product development related opportunities; the stewards of these destinations would be wise to carefully balance the preservation of these delicate sites with the need to ensure that the anticipated increase in their visitation does not harm the sites.

Careful management of these sites and their visitation by local expertise with the guidance of UNESCO therefore becomes imperative, particularly if these sites are to be incorporated into the cultural and heritage tourism product of a destination.

With the recent inscription of Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, Barbados, according to the UNESCO World Heritage website, the Caribbean now has 24 inscribed World Heritage Sites – (17 cultural and 7 natural).

With at least 37 more on the Tentative List, there is even further potential for the Caribbean‘s amazing heritage to be highlighted to the world. It is hoped that with the support of organizations that have an interest in natural and cultural heritage as well as the global travel and tourism industry players, the Caribbean will be able to significantly increase the number of inscribed World Heritage Sites and to assist the two that have been included on the list of sites in danger. The inscribed UNESCO World Heritage Sites located in the Caribbean are listed below.
Inscribed Cultural Sites:

Barbados

• Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison
• Bermuda
• Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications

Cuba

• Old Havana and its Fortifications
• Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios
• San Pedro de la Roca Castle, Santiago de Cuba
• Viñales Valley
• Archaeological Landscape of the First Coffee Plantations in the South-East of Cuba
• Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos
• Historic Centre of Camagüey

Curacao

• Historic Area of Willemstad, Inner City and Harbour

Dominican Republic

• Colonial City of Santo Domingo

Haiti

• National History Park – Citadel, Sans Souci, Ramiers

Puerto Rico

• La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site

Saint Kitts and Nevis

• Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park

Suriname

• Historic Inner City of Paramaribo

Venezuela

• Coro and its Port (in danger)
• Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas

Inscribed Natural Sites:

Belize

• Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (in danger)

Cuba

• Desembarco del Granma National Park
• Alejandro de Humboldt National Park

Dominica

• Morne Trois Pitons National Park

Saint Lucia

• Pitons Management Area

Suriname

• Central Suriname Nature Reserve

Venezuela

• Canaima National Park

Further information on each of these sites can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage website http://whc.unesco.org/en/list and via the destination links on http://www.caribbeantravel.com.