The evaluation of the quality of the water in beaches near hotel facilities on the Coco and Guillermo keys makes it possible to maintain control of the physical-chemical and microbiological parameters of a natural resource essential for tourism development in the north of the province of Ciego de Avila.

The Coastal Ecosystems Research Centre (CIEC) has joined the Institute of Marine Sciences (Icimar) to monitor the water conditions on the beaches surrounding the eight hotels where the International Sustainable Tourism Project is taking place.

These actions will allow us to determine the quality of bathing and the maintenance of the balance in the marine ecosystem, which is very important when considering the sun and beach modality developed in Jardines del Rey as a fundamental tourist activity.

The seawater studies focus on analysing parameters such as temperature, salinity, pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, the presence of nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen), the concentration of thermotolerant bacteria, coliforms, and the composition and concentration of phytoplankton.

CIEC researchers specified that when physicochemical and microbiological analyses yield results that exceed the thresholds established in the quality standards, they indicate changes in the ecosystem and deterioration of environmental conditions.

The tourism sector recognises the importance of these samplings as a tool to preserve environmental health and to improve the quality of the environment.