The Cultural Projects Accelerator for Sustainable Tourism in Trinidad and the Valley of the Ingenios, Cuba, is launched by the UNESCO Regional Office in Havana, with the aim of developing and strengthening capacities at the local level and to support proposals that combine culture, creativity and responsible tourism.

The program is part of the regional project “Communities for Heritage” that is funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This will be implemented in Trinidad and the Valley of the Ingenios, based on the findings of this Workshop on Heritage Safeguarding and Sustainable Tourism conducted in June 2025, which identified concrete opportunities in the area of connecting heritage protection with sustainable economic alternatives.

The goal of this accelerator is to foster the development of practical skills, empower local capacities, establish inclusive economic opportunities, and help preserve the cultural and natural environment. The program has been structured in interdependent phases in order to have efficient, transparent implementation for the purpose of achieving tangible results.

The Goals of the program

Ensure that cultural and creative development in Trinidad and the Valley of the Sugar Mills is realised through action that builds local capacities, protects heritage and creates inclusive economic opportunities for sustainable tourism.

Selected Projects Benefits

Selected initiatives will be provided with:

• Microfinancing  tailored to the needs of each beneficiary, of up to USD 5,000; 
• Specific mentoring, technical training and support during the implementation process; and 
• Technical support for the delivery of goods, services, and project-specific solutions; 
• Capacity building for integrating culture, creativity and responsible tourism; 
• Income generation and temporary jobs in the cultural sector related to sustainable tourism; 
• Monitoring and evaluation for efficient management, risk mitigation and sustainability of outcomes. 

Who can apply

Individual representations or applications from cultural and creative projects in all stages of development working in Trinidad and the Valley of the Sugar Mills and aligned with the programme’s goals are invited.

How to apply

Interested candidates are invited to apply by e-mail to [email protected] indicating the subject of the application:

“Turismo Sostenible Accelerator in Trinidad”

Sustainable Tourism Accelerator in Trinidad (“STA-TD”).

Applications may also be made directly to the local expert of UNESCO responsible for this process.

• (Optional) Supplemental materials such as references and/or evidence of experience. 

Application deadline: July 6, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (Havana time).

Once selected, projects have been determined they will be asked to sign a Letter of Acceptance (provided after the selection process).