For many travelers, autumn is the best time of year to spend vacations in the Caribbean as temperatures turn milder than in the middle of the sweltering summer, and because offers to the most sought-after travel destinations improve dramatically.

Either way, this truly wonderful part of the world made up of an arch of precious islands and tropical territories brimming with life, joy and gaudiness, shows off its loveliest charms for the full-fledged enjoyment of nature and adventures in which taking on the challenge of mountain climbing, taking a swim in waterfalls, discovering the out-of-the-way nature of the local flora and wildlife, taking danger-free but emotion-packed hikes, and living unforgettable moments is simply worth the ride.

Cuba, the largest Caribbean island, is hosting the Fourth International Meeting of Nature Tourism in the central province of Sancti Spiritus, an event also known as TURNAT 2004. This gathering will give tourism professionals and other experts the possibility of taking a firsthand look at the riches that one of the planet’s best-preserved regions, full of extraordinary cultural and historic values, really has to offer.

The meeting’s main venue –the Tope de Collantes Nature Park in the heart of the Guamuahaya Mountain Range, standing over 800 yards above sea level- provides an ambience highly coveted by men and women that seek physical and mental health, the enjoyment of the senses, and the feeling that only the purest environment can bring.

Just a 13-mile drive from there, the city of Trinidad –one of the first seven villages founded by the Spaniards on the island in 1514- reveals its secular splendor, the same grandeur that has labeled it the Museum City of the Caribbean and prompted UNESCO to declare it Heritage of Mankind.

In the pages of this edition, especially devoted to lovers of nature tourism and adventures, readers will unearth unique and necessary details, as well as useful tips, for planning their next trip to the Caribbean.

Looking over both the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean, Mexico lays bare its hard-to-describe charms in fifteen magic cities, its peerless architectural and religious monuments, or the simplicity of traditions exiting from time immemorial, long before the pre-Hispanic civilizations. A brief but accurate glimpse at these destinations invites potential travelers to scour them up and down, either now or in the future.

In many big cities of the northern hemisphere, the fall season is the time of year when scores of travelers return home from their summer vacations, the time that marks the beginning of a new productive cycle, the start of the school year, and the making of plans for the next summer.

Perhaps that’s why Mexico’s World Tourism Exposition and the World Travel Market (WTM) in London are held in the autumn. For many experts in the travel industry, this is the best time to map out a commercial strategy in the long run, to make valuable contacts and cut new business deals.

The present issue of Caribbean Tourist Excellencies will attend each and every of those events. The tour will kick off in the Caribbean, with TURNAT 2004 in the blooming Cuban travel destination, all the way to the World Tourism Exposition in Mexico and the London WTM. Its presence is all those tradeshows is a token of trust given by advertisers and sponsors that are confident about this publication’s willingness to make excellence the distinctive sign in its pages and professional services.