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Tourism in Cuba

Cuban culture is conglomerated from a variety of influences, ranging from the Dutch to Africa. It all dates back to when Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World…

Cultural Tourism

Cuba has a rich mixture of various cultures of Europeans, Africans and natives. It is reflected in Cuban architecture, music, dance, food and handicrafts. Cuba is undertaking renovation programs of its cultural heritage sites such as colonial buildings in Havana and Matanzas.

Food

Since the surge of tourism in the past few years from the warming relations between the U.S. and Cuba, there has been a larger demand for food. Thanks to the United States embargo, but also to poor planning by the island’s government, goods that Cubans have relied on are going to the tourists and the hundreds of private restaurants that cater to them, leading to soaring prices. Without the resources to supply the surge in food demand, some foods have become so expensive that even basic staples are becoming unaffordable for regular Cubans.Things like peppers, onions and even beer have become scarce to find since they are usually snatched up in bulk by restaurants. While the influx of new money from tourists and other visitors has been good for the island’s growing private sector, most Cubans still work within the state-run economy and struggle to make ends meet.

Source:https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/08/world/americas/cuba-fidel-castro-food-tourism.html?_r=0

Casas particulares

In 1997 Cuba made a major change in regards to accommodations for tourists. The Cuban government made it possible for people to rent out rooms in their homes for tourists to stay in. Since then, the owners of the casas have promoted their homes by distributing business cards and using online advertising. A major site for is this called Cuba-Junky.com, but there are plenty of other sites to look on. Havana is the city that seems to be the most well advertised, but there are other smaller towns and even oceanside residences offered.

Source:http://www.cuba-junky.com/havana/havana-casa-particulares-home.htm

Foreign Investment

International tourism/investment was important to the economy. Foreign investment efficiently exploited the country’s existing tourism. The eager willingness to accommodate foreign investors has led to a significant foreign impression in the Cuban tourism industry. To draw more foreign investment to Cuba’s tourism industry, joint ventures were created, this let the state direct enterprises to act and also offer incentives to make investment opportunities more attractive to foreign investors. Joint investment allowed Cuba to be a domestic partner and the host government, which eventually led to problems of the state being to invest in decisions.

Source:http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.utk.edu:90/stable/pdf/40176322.pdf