The Topes de Collantes is a protected nature reserve in the Escambray Mountains of central Cuba.

Every year it’s the setting for a nature photography competition. Dozens of amateurs and professionals spend a week in the forests, home to an array of wildlife and exotic plants.

This nature photography competition is partly about showing that there is more to Cuba than sun, sea and salsa, as the country tries to add ecotourism to its vacation brand.

More than 100,000 foreigners visit the nature reserve a year. But that’s just a fraction of the roughly three million tourists who head to Cuba’s beaches.

While the reserve likely will not replace the beach as one of Cuba’s top attractions, ecotourism looks set to become a niche part of the island’s charm. CCTV America’s Michael Voss reports in Cuba.

For more on the future of ecotourism in Cuba and Latin America, Ron Mader (Follow @ronmader) joined Biz Asia America. He’s the founder of Planeta.com, a global journal on practical ecotourism.