Mainstreaming biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation in sustainable tourism development in Cuba To contribute to the sustainability of tourism in Cuba through the mainstreaming of conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and mitigation of climate change with emphasis on vulnerable coastal-marine areas through the design and implementation of innovative models with strengthened capacities and financial mechanisms Note: Disbursement data provided is cumulative and covers disbursement made by the project Agency. 1. The socioeconomic benefits to be delivered by the project include enhancing the capacity of staff from national-level public institutions to effectively mainstream biodiversity into the tourism sector in the country and to reduce GHG emissions associated with tourism operations. The project will use a train-the-trainers and gender-based approach that focuses on building capacities through university courses on tourism (e.g., School of Tourism of the University of La Habana) and the MINTUR training schools to maximize the impact of the capacity building efforts. Socioeconomic benefits will also result from facilitating access by the tourism sector (e.g., building owners, hotel and tour operators) to financial instruments to incentivize sustainable tourism through biodiversity conservation and CCM. This will be complemented with access to certification mechanisms (i.e., certification of Environmental Management Systems and Energy Management Systems) and recognitions of organizations that will improve visibility and promote differentiated tourism products. Sixteen (16) hotels selected in the two target areas, including hotels owned and/or operated by women, will benefit from certifications and recognitions.2. At the local level, key tourism sector stakeholders, including self-employed and informal workers, small and medium-sized businesses [MiPyMEs], and private agricultural and non-agricultural cooperatives, will participate in awareness-raising activities and will benefit from training on biodiversity values and conservation, gardening with native species, ecosystems management and restoration, environmentally friendly tourism, SNBT, and environmental management for sustainable tourism. SNBT products will be developed as a complement and/or alternative to sun and sand tourism; SNBT initiatives will favour local development where the private/non-state sector is involved. The project will also train 70 new and existing environmental inspectors (50% of whom will be women) to monitor the tourism sector’s compliance with environmental regulations, as well as 100 internal auditors and 40 lead auditors who will play a key role in certifying selected hotels that have an integrated management system that includes Environmental Management (NC ISO 14000), Energy Efficiency (NC ISO 50001) and Sustainability (future NC ISO 21401). Four prioritized hotels will benefit from the implementation of technological solutions to improve energy performance and will serve as a case study for the implementation of technical measures for energy efficiency in the hotel sector. In addition, the project will strengthen the capacity of 30 people (including women) specialized in providing energy services to hotel facilities and business groups for implementing low-carbon energy technologies and to promote the preliminary enabling conditions to establish state and non-state energy services companies specialized in the tourism sector.3. The project will also develop the tourism sector’s recovery plan and mainstream biodiversity conservation and CCM with consideration given to the impact of the COVID-19 on the tourism sector, which will include post-pandemic recovery guidelines that help to restructure this key sector of the country’s economy and the main source of foreign exchange income for the country and employment. In total, the project will directly benefit 20,170 people (9,094 women and 11,076d men).