Tourism to Cuba: Will “the invasion” arrive?

When Cuba appears to be “in” and famous artists have their photos taken in Havana streets, while groups of US citizens meet the real Cuban nation –despite the tourist travel ban set by US laws— it is necessary to reflect on the opportunities, challenges and imperatives present at the tourist sector in the Island.

Following the restoration of relations with the United States, one question was repeatedly asked at foreign circles, surrounded by speculation.  Is Cuba prepared for an "invasion" of American tourists?  What are the experts saying?

Is there any chance of such “invasion” taking place?  On what does it depend?  “Which are the main challenges facing the Cuban tourist industry at this minute?

CUBAECONOMICAtalks with Doctor in Economic Sciences Jose Luìs Perellò, professor at the Faculty of Tourism of Havana University, an expert on tourist development issues in Cuba.

—Which is the place of tourism in Cuba`s economy?

Tourism was the first option of the Cuban economy in the nineties, when Cuba`s Leader, Fidel Castro, urged the development of international tourism as a way to obtain foreign exchange. It was a difficult moment in Cuba’s history, keynoted by the dismemberment of the Socialist camp. Tourism was then a way to give an impulse to other sectors of the Cuban economy, but not with the simple intention of becoming the engine pushing the Cuban nation. Each one of the sectors has the need to be pulled by its own locomotive.

“At this point, there are three key sectors in the Cuban economy: the first one are the professional services rendered overseas: the second one is tourism, and the third is the medical-pharma industry, which have the largest possibilities of opening a niche for themselves in what we may describe as the global market.

Tourism has also served as an engine for the true image of Cuba. In the past twenty years, forty three million foreigners have learned about the real Cuban nation and have seen first hand an Island that upkeeps definite values and identities, a patrimonial treasure, an autoctonous culture: a country that has been able to upkeep certain indicators comparable to those of highly industrialized nations in the world, despite shortages; the day to day difficulties facing the Cuban population and the US blockade imposed on Cuba for the past fifty four years”.

—The tourists that arrive in Cuba, what are they looking for here, which is the attraction that Cuba offers to them?

—“I would say that it is the very nature of the Cubans. They come here to see a people that have remained intact due to the very same lack of resources and material goods, but who continue to be active, vital, concentrated.  There are other elements that are also sources of national strength: firstly, that it is a very safe destination, keeps its culture concentrated in its own population, which knows it very well and cultivates it properly. It is a country that accepts foreigners with an incredible hospitality, despite the fact that it has been kept isolated for a long time, not only from US citizens but also from citizens of other latitudes who did not come to Cuba for injected fear, which was totally unfounded.

“Also, there are the Cuban beaches. I am part of those who claim that our beaches are among the best in the Caribbean. They lie on the North coast, and to me that is not the Caribbean but the Atlantic ocean, and the geological formation of those sands on Cuba`s Northern coast is different”.

--Following the approval by President Obama of a group of licenses that make it easier for Americans to travel to Cuba, a growing number of American citizens has arrived in our country.

Of course, they are not coming as tourists, because tourism is forbidden by law, but they are arriving in many different ways. What is the impact that this fact will be having in US society, including the final elimination of the US blockade?

—UStourists have always visited Cuba. It has fed the curiousity of seeing for themselves the land that has been labelled as sponsor of terrorism. The Americans that are visiting Cuba after January sixteenth are doing so in the interest of mixing with the Cubans, learning  of their culture, attending theaters, exchanging points of view with students, academicicans,  professionals of many walks of life or just walking the streets. The other tourism is that linked to sun and beaches.

The Americans can not come as tourists, but may come through journalistic and academic exchanges, through cultural activities and visits to learn about a different culture….

Cultural activities are more favoured by that segment of visitors. Naturally, they may go to Varadero (beach) or  to North Central Cuba’s beautiful off-shore keys.

Not with a touristic intentionm, but if there is a scientific or cultural event in Varadero, the US visitor could in his free time act as  a bonafide tourist and enjoy the incredible beauties of the place.

Many businessmen have visited Cuba but they can not do it with a business visa.

Therefore, they come to Havana, lodge themselves at a hotel or private home and freely walk on the streets engaging in people-to-people contacts…

We have engaged in this people-to-people contacts not only with US citizens but with visitors from the rest of the world, because of the huge capacity of the Cuban people to assimilate contacts with other cultures.

The people of Cuba are wholly intercultural. Just learn of the diversity of religions: in Cuba all religions are represented and all of them interact.

We, in turn, help all foreign visitors on the streets, First of all we help him and later on ask where is he from, and in just twenty minutes we are already fast friends, ask him what can we do for him and where he would like to go.

That provides the visitor of an image of Cuban hospitality. The central issue of tourist development in Cuba has to be closely linked to culture.

The other fundamental aspect that must be incorporated as part of tourism is keeping strict security in all tourist destinations. An insecure destination leads to the collapse of tourist development, and it is a most difficult task to recover security.

---There is much talk that Cuba is not prepared to receive the expected avalanche of US tourists. Is this true? If it were, which are the areas where Cuba should invest in tourist development?

—I include myself in the group of those who relieve that there will not be an avalanche of US tourists, but simple an increase in tourist arrivals, not only from the United States but also from the main tourist emitting points, such as Canada.

Canadais keeping at this point a thirteen percent tourist growth compared to last year. In 2014, for example, one million 175 thousand Canadians arrived in Cuba and this year September closed with a 13,2per cent growth.

One million 22,100 Canadians had already arrived. I don’t think that in the coming three years the number of US citizens travelling to Cuba will match the Canadian figures, for they are different segments.

“The American citizens are interested in the cities, the towns, but Canadians travel to Cuba fleeing from the bitter winter cold and seek sun, beaches in an all inclusive environment. Cuba has to get ready for that increase, but the problem is not in the lodgings but in the general infrastructure.

“To Cuba you must travel by air, and therefore a large investment is needed in airports and related facilities. Hundreds of new hotel rooms have been added recently,

Cubahas 62 090 hotel rooms, plus 18.000 others in private homes Therefore, an adequate rooming capacity is available.

Because of the difficulties generated by the US Blockade and the shortage of financing, there is a lack of maintenance in the hotels, a number of rooms are out of order and some hotels have not received proper maintenance.

And what has been done in the airport sector? If you do not invest in airport expansion there will be difficulties in receiving foreign visitors, because there will not be sufficient facilities for their arrival.

In order to have a growth in arrivals you must have hundreds of flights, an expansion of airport facilities, including the swift handling of incoming and outgoing flights.

This calls for more X-ray equipment, baggage handling lines, transport vehicles to handle the tourists, all of which is very expensive but highly necessary.

Also, investments are necessary in the maritime sector. We are speaking of more cruise ships, but where are they going to dock?   There must be a large cruise ship terminal with facilities for the swift processing of passengers just as in the air terminals.  In relation with ferries, the available  terminal for those ships must also be expanded.  How many private yatchs is Cuba going to receive once their visits are authorized by the US Government.

In South Florida there are not less than forty thousand yatchs waiting for the moment to set sail for Cuba.  Most definitely, there is a need for the expansion of adequate handling facilities for aircraft, cruise ships and yatchs!

It is not that Cuba was not prepared, but the nation did not feel that a different scenario was to arrive in the medium or short terms, and that relations with the United States would be set in such short period of time.

If we note hotel occupancy rates up to September last, there has been an increase of 17,9 percent in the arrival of visitors, but hotel occupancy has not reached  60 per cent.  Therefore, there is still ample room capacity, and I don’t feel that the main difficulties lie in the availability of lodgings.

There are 2400 private restaurants in Cuba. In Havana I think there is one very two hundred yards!

But there are more needs, according to the cultural interests of the new visitors.

There is the need to open more music and dance halls, places where you can quietly  have a Cuban beer or a coffee with live music. Sports events should also be opened for visitors.

In respect to cruise ships, what are the advantages and disadvantages to the country?

The cruise ship passenger arrives in the country aboard his own floating hotel. Therefore, he does not need lodgings. But in disembarking from the slip, the visitor has to pay a tax and the ship has to pay for services provided at the port.

Some visitors might stay aboard, but others will disembark and do things on shore. It is the responsibility of local tourist agencies to offer the visitors the possibility of joining excursions and trips to interesting places, all of which are sources of income.

The arrival of cruise ships demands the swift construction of docking and other facilities. The cruise ship companies have identified as suitable ports those of Havana, Baracoa, Manzanillo, Santa Cruz del Sur, Cienfuegos, Casilda and, María la Gorda. The offer that they are advancing at this point is centered on cruising around the Island, such as they do in the rest of the Caribbean where our brothers also have beaches and plenty of sunlight.

But our offers also includes the vast cultural universe found in Cuba, and the development plans for the nation`s tourist industry include all the modalities and possibilities opened to the visitors.

Cuba does not offer only cruise ship and airport facilities, but we also have marinas and a wide scope of maritime activities and the possibilities opened by the many lakes, coastal inlets and water reservoirs, along with rivers, where canoeing and water skiing, along with other nautical sports, are possible, with a wide spectrum of tourist possibilities.

The cruise ship tourist modality has shown the fastest growth in Cuba, with annual ten percent increases. In the year 2014,  almost forty five percent of the world’s cruise ship tourism was  concentrated in the Caribbean,

This was made possible by the increasing difficulties in the Mediterranean due to the input of refugees from the Middle East seeking harbour in Western Europe.

Cubawill be included in the cruise ship visits in the Caribbean.

As Cuba is fully incorporated to the tourist routes in the Caribbean, the nation has to turn the Island into a most desirable destination of cruise ships, invest in the expansion of air travel facilities, improve its hotel infrastructure, expand its cultural haven, adding many other possibilities to that of being a simple place for sun and beach tourism.

According to the estimations of this  expert, this year may close with more than three and a half million international, one hundred and forty five thousand of them from the United States, that is some fify thousand more than last year.