The emergence of Raul Castro as Cuba''s new leader could see the country develop into the latest destination for jet-setting golfers, it has been claimed.
According to Reuters, many new golf resorts are in the pipeline for Cuba now that Fidel Castro has handed power over to his brother, who is thought to be willing to use golf as a method of boosting tourism levels.
While in the past the image of golf did not sit comfortably with Fidel''s strict communist regime, the more relaxed approach of Raul suggests that Cuba could soon see a number of major new golf developments.
Mark Entwistle, a former Canadian ambassador to Havana, told the news provider: "Old-school objections to golf on ideological grounds have fallen away."
US lawyer and Cuban real estate specialist Antonio Zamora added: "If you have a tourist industry you have to offer tourists what they want - and they want golf courses as much as they want beaches, pools and entertainment."
Several investment groups from Canada and Europe have submitted proposals to build 18 and 36-hole luxury golf resorts around Cuba.
Raul Castro took control of Cuba as a temporary measure in July 2006 due to his brother''s illness and was elected president in February this year.
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