• Submitted by: lena campos
• Sports
• 05 / 25 / 2013

---

Cuba is to get its first luxury golf project with officials approving plans for a $350 million development with an 18 hole course designed by golfing legend Tony Jacklin.

The Carbonera Club proposed by British firm Esencia is the first of a dozen similar initiatives that have long been under consideration some 50 years after Fidal Castro famously orders the island’s golf courses to be shut down because he considered them elitist.

Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero has confirmed that a formal deal had been reached for a joint venture between Esencia and the Cuban government to develop the Carbonera on a 170 hectare coastal site.

Esencia said that building work should begin next year on a design which would transform the area. As well as the golf course, the plans include the construction of an exclusive, gated community of some 650 apartments and villas and a hotel and a country club with tennis courts, spa and a yacht club.

The Carbonera Club is set to become one of the first projects of its kind in Cuba. The aim is to treat the environment sensitively on a project that combines contemporary design and the highest quality materials. Properties for sale will include private Villas, one to four bedroom apartments and Conran Residences.

Marrero also confirmed that with planning approved for this project other developments are in the pipeline. A second golf project, with Chinese investment, is expected to be approved by the end of this year and there are other proposals from Spanish, Vietnamese and Russian developers.

The Cuban government is keen to increase the number of tourists and developments such as the Carbonera Club will also mean that foreign investors can buy property in the country for the first time.

According to Marrero Cuba could become a sought after golfing holiday destination, even attracting people away from Florida. ‘Cuba has a lot going for it including safety, nature, culture and now Golf,’ he explained.

In the pre-Communist era there were at least seven golf courses on the island, frequented mainly by wealthy residents and American visitors. Currently there is only one 18 hole course in Cuba, at the Varadero Golf Club, which opened in the 1990s when tourists were welcomed back.

Indeed, tourism is now the second biggest source of income on the island. Last year, 2.8 million people visited Cuba, mostly opting for all inclusive hotel deals.

Source: Propertywire.com