The Central American nations, Chile and Cuba took good advantage of the International Tourism Fair (FITUR 2008) held in Spain’s Madrid to showcase the most luring tourist products they have to offer right now.

Chile unveiled a couple of projects the South American country is working on with the help of Spanish institutions.

“Sendero de Chile” (Chile’s Pathways), a 2174-mile-long trekking route that ranks as the largest in the world, will give visitors the opportunity to tour the entire nation from top to toe, either on foot or by any vehicle.

The second project is “Vias Verdes,” (Green Ways) a program that will make extensive use of the country’s railroads that have fallen into disuse to turn them into exclusive tours for trekkers and cyclists.

Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua, Belize and El Salvador came up with a joint route of volcanoes and colonial cities that includes 53 cultural and natural sightseeing spots, plus connections to other 90 nearby communities.

Cuba, for its part, presented the “Museum of Tourism” in downtown Havana, a bid to treasure the history of the industry on the island nation before and after the triumph of the 1959 Revolution.

The project will include the rekindling of bustling Galiano Street in Havana by shutting down a section of the four-lane avenue to vehicle traffic and turning it into a walkway for tourists and local residents alike.

The world-known Havana Malecon will also be transformed into a busier driveway and leisure center for both Cuban nationals and foreign visitors.