# Cuba Tourism



## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Cuba takes steps to spruce up tourism appeal *

HAVANA, June 27 (Reuters) - Cuba has adopted a series of measures to improve the tourism industry's competitive position in the Caribbean and reverse a two-year slide in visitors, state-media reported on Wednesday. 

"Today the ministry is working on new investments and repairing hotels of historic interest in the cities," Minister Manuel Marrero told parliament deputies on Tuesday, the Communist Party newspaper Granma reported. 

"Another main objective ... is to add new services and make our offer more competitive in general," he said. 

Landing fees were recently reduced 20 percent at airports and jet fuel set at market prices to bring the communist-run island in line with other Caribbean destinations. 

To reduce theft, local carrier Cubana Airlines is plastic wrapping all luggage, with the service optional for other airlines. 

"Better late than never. We suggested the measures two years ago," one foreign tour operator said of the changes. 

"But package and hotel rates remain 20 percent less in the Dominican Republic, and in Cancun they are similar but the service is far superior," he said. Like others interviewed, he asked not to be identified. 

Tourism grew at a lofty 20 percent rate in the 1990s, becoming the country's most important foreign exchange earner as the government restructured the economy to cope with the demise of benefactor the Soviet Union. 

But services and nickel exports brought in more revenues than tourism's $2.3 billion in 2006, and earn a much larger profit, Cuban economists report. 

Visitors fell to 2.2 million last year from 2.3 million in 2005. It was the first drop since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States hurt the travel industry worldwide in 2002. 

The number of tourists dropped 7 percent in January and 13 percent in February compared with the same period in 2006, the Tourism Ministry reported, before ending publication of monthly figures for the first time in years. 

Minister Marrero blamed the "complicated international scene" for his sector's woes, Granma said, in particular "high oil prices, wars, terrorism and climate change." 

Cuban and foreign hotel managers said U.S. travel restrictions and the embargo had also hurt, but they insisted the government could do far more to compensate. 

"It still takes months to purchase a compressor for an air conditioner and there has been little money spent in recent years to maintain and improve service," one foreign hotel manager said.


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## Bluesence (Apr 29, 2006)

I loved Cuba!


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## jmancuso (Jan 9, 2003)

i would love to go to cuba but i'm afraid that once the embargo ends, american businesses are going to swoop in and turn it in to a cheesy corporate cancun clone.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Cuba says its tourism sector generated $2.7 billion in last year, up 13 percent from 2007 *
9 January 2009

HAVANA (AP) - Cuba saw record tourism in 2008 that generated more than $2.7 billion in revenue, a 13.5 percent increase over the previous year, the government reported.

Some 2.35 million foreigners visited the island last year, 9.3 percent more than in 2007, according to a National Office of Statistics report posted online this week. The visitor surge helped the industry earn about $326 million more than it did in 2007.

The report did not say how much profit the sector generated.

Cuban tourism has remained strong while visitors to other Caribbean destinations have dropped amid the world financial crisis. International travel operators say the island remains popular because many visitors can buy relatively cheap, all-inclusive packages and can budget trip costs well in advance. At the same time, the financial crunch has not yet hit hard in Canada, the top source of Cuba's visitors.

Washington's nearly 50-year-old trade embargo effectively bans U.S. tourists from Cuba. But Britain, Italy, Spain and Germany follow Canada as the top suppliers of tourists.

The banner year for tourism came after foreign visitor rates dipped in 2006 and 2007. The government offered no explanation for the decline, but the island has relatively low returning visitor rates. Some tourists complain of poor service, spotty infrastructure and lousy food, indicative of a communist system where shortages are common and state employees feel little motivation to excel at their jobs.

State media reported Monday that Cuba's nickel industry out-earned tourism in 2008, becoming the top source of government revenue for the second straight year. The government didn't say how much income the nickel industry generated.


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## OshHisham (Nov 14, 2005)

i really really wanna visit Cuba someday...i hope AirAsia X will fly there soon...


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## PedroGabriel (Feb 5, 2007)

jmancuso said:


> i would love to go to cuba but i'm afraid that once the embargo ends, american businesses are going to swoop in and turn it in to a cheesy corporate cancun clone.


the embargo created an interesting country!

it is one of the favourite destinations here in the cheesy Caribbeans. Dont feel atracted to the Caribbeans, but Cuba is something else!


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## nestor morales (Feb 1, 2008)

I will travel to Cuba when it was a free country.....by the way, does exist a cuban site of Skyscrapercity????


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## elbart089 (Nov 18, 2007)

People don't have internet there (seriously), the few cuban forumers actually live in other countries.


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## nestor morales (Feb 1, 2008)

elbart089 said:


> People don't have internet there (seriously), the few cuban forumers actually live in other countries.


what a pity! I don't understand those people admire Fidel and his socialist dictatorship....I feel sad for the cuban peoplehno:


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## mgk920 (Apr 21, 2007)

nestor morales said:


> what a pity! I don't understand those people admire Fidel and his socialist dictatorship....I feel sad for the cuban peoplehno:


Not only that, but away from the tourist areas, the country is literally crumbling. Examining the good, high-resolution Google-earth air photos of La Habana is a REAL eye-opener - large sections of the city contain block after block after block with one or more crumbling and/or roofless buildings.

And the USA embargo is not the cause as Cuba freely trades with pretty much everyone else on the planet, in fact importing HUGE amounts of food and other items from the USA (only that the USA requires cash on delivery, not selling on credit). Simply trying to buy the materials and hire someone to help fix up one's own residence is considered to be 'counter-revolutionary' and internet access is strictly controlled and on a need-only basis.

Sad indeed.

hno:

Mike


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## Papacu (Oct 16, 2008)

jmancuso said:


> i would love to go to cuba but i'm afraid that once the embargo ends, american businesses are going to swoop in and turn it in to a cheesy corporate cancun clone.


Go there before it turns another place full of pale, fat and bad looking people, fat and tasteless food, visual pollution, bad music, and all those wonders that just the capitalism cam bring to you.

:lol::lol::lol:


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## nestor morales (Feb 1, 2008)

Papacu said:


> Go there before it turns another place full of pale, fat and bad looking people, fat and tasteless food, visual pollution, bad music, and all those wonders that just the capitalism cam bring to you.
> 
> :lol::lol::lol:


^^
If you hate the capitalism, then where do you live on? You are using a pc made in a "capitalist country",speaking the official language among capitalist nations,wearing capitalist clothes in fashion. I don't think you were a beggar or a barefoot franciscan monk. What kind of being are you?... an alien perhaps?:lol:


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## Papacu (Oct 16, 2008)

nestor morales said:


> ^^
> If you hate the capitalism, then where do you live on? You are using a pc made in a "capitalist country",speaking the official language among capitalist nations,wearing capitalist clothes in fashion. I don't think you were a beggar or a barefoot franciscan monk. What kind of being are you?... an alien perhaps?:lol:


Well, if you can't figure it, I was joking about the comment from jmancuso and the american businesses. Unless you don't know nothing about Cuba, the tourism business is already capitalist there. Most of the resorts and hotels there belongs to capitalist enterprises as Meliá, if you did not figured it yet.

The end of the embargo will not bring big changes in the tourism, except lots of american tourists and their crap food. Perhaps the only sector in the whole Cuba that will decrease the quality with the end of the embargo will be the hotels and resort services. Can you understand it or I will have to draw it?

And Chile is capitalist, but there's lots of slums there. And there's no one resort at same level of some cuban ones, right? Don't be agressive about the things you cannot understand, chicago-boy fan...


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## nestor morales (Feb 1, 2008)

Papacu said:


> Well, if you can't figure it, I was joking about the comment from jmancuso and the american businesses. Unless you don't know nothing about Cuba, the tourism business is already capitalist there. Most of the resorts and hotels there belongs to capitalist enterprises as Meliá, if you did not figured it yet.
> 
> The end of the embargo will not bring big changes in the tourism, except lots of american tourists and their crap food. Perhaps the only sector in the whole Cuba that will decrease the quality with the end of the embargo will be the hotels and resort services. Can you understand it or I will have to draw it?
> 
> And Chile is capitalist, but there's lots of slums there. And there's no one resort at same level of some cuban ones, right? Don't be agressive about the things you cannot understand, chicago-boy fan...


^^
We, the chileans know lot of things about your Cuba.Thousands of suffered cuban peoples have arrived to Chile to work and to know the freedom at last.Embargo exist in Cuba because of your pal Fidel and his constant and systematic violation of human rights, he's and his dirty dictatorship are the only ones guilty of poverty,hunger and mind control in the suffered people.Chile was once a poor country like Cuba today but now it's almost developed so we receive thousands of inmigrants such as argentinian, peruvian, ecuatorian...and cubans of course. Our resorts and hotels are amongst the best in all over the world. I feel sorry for your ignorance and envious remarks:bashgod bless you:lol


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## Papacu (Oct 16, 2008)

nestor morales said:


> ^^
> We, the chileans know lot of things about your Cuba.Thousands of suffered cuban peoples have arrived to Chile to work and to know the freedom at last.Embargo exist in Cuba because of your pal Fidel and his constant and systematic violation of human rights, he's and his dirty dictatorship are the only ones guilty of poverty,hunger and mind control in the suffered people.Chile was once a poor country like Cuba today but now it's almost developed so we receive thousands of inmigrants such as argentinian, peruvian, ecuatorian...and cubans of course. Our resorts and hotels are amongst the best in all over the world. I feel sorry for your ignorance and envious remarks:bashgod bless you:lol


Bla bla bla... Fidel is not my pal. Is pal of Augusto Pinochet, that corrupt dictador from... surprise! Chile!
The same who delivered Chile too broken as Cuba is nowadays. Being from a country full of slums and misery, you should respect the other ones, democracy or not. Why don't you talk about your Chille, the bird shit's seller?

PS:Hum... where's the moderators? This is about geography and travel and it's a shame such dumbass criticizing the country presented in the thread, being a democracy or not.


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## eklips (Mar 29, 2005)

^^ what the hell are you on about, Chile was always one of the richest latin American countries. Long before Pinochet and the Chicago-boys style capitalism.


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## elbart089 (Nov 18, 2007)

Papacu, are you a Cuban living in the US or Europe?


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## phillybud (Jul 22, 2007)

I was in Cuba several years ago. Stayed at the Lido Hotel in La Habana Vieja (Old Havana). Yes, some parts of the city were crumbling and very shabby. But Havana does have a lot of historical charm and some areas were lovely.

Some observations:

1. When I was there it was a very sexy city, like Rio de Janeiro. Very easy to meet strangers, male or female, for romantic adventures ... just stroll the Malecon or the Prada.

2. I went to the Museum Of The Revolution (the former Presidential Palace) and they would only accept US$ dollars for admission (what is wrong with this picture?).

3. The food was very good at the more upscale places, like Hemingway's favorite place La Floridita ... but HONESTLY, the "Cuban Sandwiches" in Miami are better than what I found in Cuba!


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## nestor morales (Feb 1, 2008)

Cuba is charming about its culture, folklore, music, beaches, etc. Politicaly is a desaster no doubt, speaking on that topic is controversial. By the way, my country has been receiving thousands of cuban citizens these last years, it's a form of solidarity with the suffered cuban people. I had a workmate in a restaurant not long ago, he came from Havana ,but he could not come altogether his family cause dictatorship did forbid to him.
Here in Chile he could try the steak and lot of things that in Cuba are reserved only for high public staff or supporters of the system.hno:


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## EuropeWord (Feb 6, 2009)

I would like to visit Cuba one day. I think it would be a great experience. However, I am sure I wouldn't like to live there. Who'd like, after all? The lifestyle is not so great.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Well, there are plenty of resorts where you won't notice it's communism all around.


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## EuropeWord (Feb 6, 2009)

hkskyline said:


> Well, there are plenty of resorts where you won't notice it's communism all around.


Thanks for the tip.

Now does any of you have information on the prices there? Like prices for renting a room, eating, restaurants, bars etc. Any kind of info would be appreciated.


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## Maipo Valley (Feb 3, 2008)

eklips said:


> ^^ what the hell are you on about, Chile was always one of the richest latin American countries. Long before Pinochet and the Chicago-boys style capitalism.


true mon amie, so true as cuba was one fo the richest in latin america too until 1959.

papacu: dont be ridiculous if chile is miserable, cuba is haiti. and we dont get support of a lot of commies lovers in first world.


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## emagdnim (May 13, 2008)

Maipo Valley said:


> true mon amie, so true as cuba was one fo the richest in latin america too until 1959.papacu: dont be ridiculous if chile is miserable, cuba is haiti. and we dont get support of a lot of commies lovers in first world.


Another thing you didn't get is being a sovereign country breaking out of imperial subservience. Or a 50 year illegal economic embargo and 50 years of terrorism supported by the superpower( well maybe the years leading up to Allende's overthrow). You guys are still in collective shock from the Pinochet years, inequality is very high, unemployment and poverty commonplace and slums just minutes outside of Santiago's bustling downtown. 

5:10 on the video

7:19 for the other side of Chile's "economic miracle"






Yeah some miracle:| looks like lots of people are still very miserable


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## Maipo Valley (Feb 3, 2008)

the most poor person in chile live 8 or 9 times better than an average cuban. fact.
check the numbers, not the propaganda. you are free to came here and go to the worst places in santiago talk to people and take all the pics that you want, you cant do the samething in cuba. in cuba a cell phone is a luxurious thing in chile we had more cells than people. in all cuba there are just 2 newspapers, here in my little town of paine (30,000 habs) we had 2 newspapers. people from other southamerican countries come here to work, i dont think that anybody goest to cuba to find work.

we are a independent country and chile is political and economical closer to some european countries, not US. even the facist pinochet was really very far from US govs, more independent for sure than fidel (who was a toy of sovietic union)


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## weird (Feb 24, 2006)

EuropeWord said:


> Thanks for the tip.
> 
> Now does any of you have information on the prices there? Like prices for renting a room, eating, restaurants, bars etc. Any kind of info would be appreciated.


Prices from Spain are bounding 700-800€, 7 days and 5 nights in a 5 star hotel.
You can also check the other option, that is to spend a couple of days at Havanna and then move to Varadero where most of the resorts are located. Is not a big ancient village like Havanna is, but resorts are better cause all of them are sited in a "tongue" of terrain into the sea. Some sort of mini peninsula. Prices are a bit higher, cause usually this trip used to be 10 days, and cause you've to move to Varadero.
Anyway, if you're moving in the range of 700-1.000€ you could find what you are looking for, surely 

The best choice in the Caribbean Sea so far cause you can mix tourism with great resorts, beaches and all the cuban culture, that is quite charmy with all those ancient cars still working, the rum and music plus dance from the island.


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## emagdnim (May 13, 2008)

Maipo Valley said:


> the most poor person in chile live 8 or 9 times better than an average cuban. fact.


How is that possible, the Chileans in the video are picking through mounds of garbage, did you miss the part of the homeless couple with a little infant sleeping in the streets? You're delusional, Cubans have access to universal healthcare, education through to university level and the state has an obligation to provide housing and the homelessness that is apparent is due to hurricanes.



Maipo Valley said:


> check the numbers, not the propaganda. you are free to came here and go to the worst places in santiago talk to people and take all the pics that you want, you cant do the samething in cuba. in cuba a cell phone is a luxurious thing in chile we had more cells than people. in all cuba there are just 2 newspapers, here in my little town of paine (30,000 habs) we had 2 newspapers. people from other southamerican countries come here to work, i dont think that anybody goest to cuba to find work.


What propaganda are you talking about? The Chileans interviewed is more than enough proof. The political, social and economic order is still the same as it was under Pinochet. You guys still have the dictators constitution and complicated voting system which splits the vote. Your country was for decades the Chicago boys laboratory experiment in neoliberalism and your elite class is still brainwashed with that ideology. Your country continues to send army officers to the School of the Americas terrorist training camp. According to Pablo Ruiz if Michelle Bachelet were to institute real change and reforms the army would probably carry out another coup. So much for independence :|



> *Pablo Ruiz: US tax dollars are used to train Latin American soldiers how to oppress their own people*
> 
> February 26, 2009
> 
> ...


http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?...=74&jumival=3340&updaterx=2009-02-26+10:50:13




Maipo Valley said:


> we are a independent country and chile is political and economical closer to some european countries, not US. even the facist pinochet was really very far from US govs, more independent for sure than fidel (who was a toy of sovietic union)


Are you serious? :crazy:















> *Is Chile a Neoliberal Success?
> 
> Chile is often heralded as the global South's best case for free-trade economic policies, but the facts tell a different story
> 
> ...


http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/South_America/Neoliberal_Success_Chile.html


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## Xpressway (Dec 2, 2006)

nestor morales said:


> ^^
> *We, the chileans *know lot of things about your Cuba


Repeat after me: 

I, (Nesto Morales), think i know some things of Cuba.


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## Bruton (Jan 31, 2009)

edit


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## MexiQuebecois (Sep 22, 2008)

I came to this thread to see some cool pictures of Cuba, not to read the unnecessary rants of a few people, I would've stayed in the Skybar if that was what I was gonna get here.
Pathetic that some people can't distinguish between one section of this forum and another one, out of respect to other forumers I think it's fair that if you guys want to discuss political issues, please do so by pm and not here where everybody can read it, you guys just ruin it for the rest of us.

Thanks


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

emagdnim said:


> How is that possible, the Chileans in the video are picking through mounds of garbage, did you miss the part of the homeless couple with a little infant sleeping in the streets? You're delusional, Cubans have access to universal healthcare, education through to university level and the state has an obligation to provide housing and the homelessness that is apparent is due to hurricanes.


and yet despite living in this paradise, legal threats and force are required to keep Cubans in the country.

I suppose you still believe that the Berlin Wall was to stop westerners getting into East Germany as the communist regime claimed at the time. :lol:



emagdnim said:


> You guys still have the dictators constitution and complicated voting system which splits the vote.


Yes, the Cuban electoral system is clearly much simpler! :laugh:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

MexiQuebecois said:


> I came to this thread to see some cool pictures of Cuba, not to read the unnecessary rants of a few people, I would've stayed in the Skybar if that was what I was gonna get here.
> Pathetic that some people can't distinguish between one section of this forum and another one, out of respect to other forumers I think it's fair that if you guys want to discuss political issues, please do so by pm and not here where everybody can read it, you guys just ruin it for the rest of us.
> 
> Thanks


I agree. This is not Skybar, guys. People are not here to hear insulting fights.


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