Cuba preparing for biggest American tourist invasion ever

[webfact]

Cuba preparing for biggest American tourist invasion ever

MIAMI: -- It will be the largest number of American tourists to arrive in Cuba since the 1959 Revolution. The increase is expected to exceed the 50% of visitors who have already made their bookings.

While authorizations for all kinds of travel and transportation companies are multiplying in the U.S., moving beyond the tourist blockade of the island, Cuba is declaring that the last quarter of 2015 could beat all records in U.S. tourism since the Revolution given that so far and despite visa restrictions American tourist presence has increased by 50%.

An absolutely clear signal is that hotel chains have started to work out agreements with the almost 20,000 private rooms that provide cheap accommodation in Cuba, by hiring beds to which tourists will be redirected when they have no space.

These agreements are quite unprecedented since private rooms for rent are – at least in theory – illegal and up to this point the big chains had never dealt with the issue except to criticize these accommodations where necessary. 70% of these unofficial rooms are located in Havana.

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee has already approved the lifting of the ban on travel to Cuba, which is only the first step in a series of legislative guarantees that Democrats and a section of the Republicans are willing to approve in its totality, which would authorize all types of travel before the year end.

With seven companies already authorized to start ferry trips between Florida and Havana in September (Havana Ferry Partners, Baja Ferries, United Caribbean Lines, Airline Brokers Co., International Port Corp, America Cruise Ferries from Puerto Rico and the Spanish Balearia), everything is pointing towards the first part of the high season in Cuba being successful.

Full story: http://www.eturbonews.com/63042/cuba-preparing-biggest-american-tourist-invasion-ever

-- eTN 2015-08-27

[craigt3365]

Glad I went before the invasion! LOL

[DavidB4]

People are going to go in droves and they are in for some big shocks. Cuba does not have the infrastructure that tourists are accustomed too = nice Hotels/rooms, good food, easy transport and most importantly maybe people who will treat the visitors politely. Of course there are good people there but there are also many who will try to scam the foreigners of every dollar they can. When I was there I have never had so many people approach me with a con, seemed like there was new one on every corner. From "can you go in this store and buy some milk for my baby because I'm not allowed" to the most common "can you help me contact my brother, cousin, uncle, whatever who lives in the US and..." It gets old real fast and rather depressing really, you feel for them.

[angel9999]

These private rooms in homes are called Casas Particulares, which most are legit....they have to pay a monthly fee to the government in order to continue.....Air BNB has many on its books,

these homes provide a comfortable stay, home cooked meals, usually better and less expensive than gov. run hotels and restaurants....last time i was there they rent for 20-30 CUC per nt. also a bargain compared to hotels...

[blazes]

People are going to go in droves and they are in for some big shocks. Cuba does not have the infrastructure that tourists are accustomed too = nice Hotels/rooms, good food, easy transport and most importantly maybe people who will treat the visitors politely. Of course there are good people there but there are also many who will try to scam the foreigners of every dollar they can. When I was there I have never had so many people approach me with a con, seemed like there was new one on every corner. From "can you go in this store and buy some milk for my baby because I'm not allowed" to the most common "can you help me contact my brother, cousin, uncle, whatever who lives in the US and..." It gets old real fast and rather depressing really, you feel for them.

These are not "cons". Last time I was in Cuba, I responded positively to the "shop" request. Cubans were/are not allowed access to the stores for foreigners, which take only Yankee dollars. Buying something simple for maybe a baby or whatever is no big deal.

What sort of paranoid mentality would see this as a con?

[blazes]

Tlhe Cuban people/government are being remarkably generous in making peace with this arrogant, aggressive government in Washington, which has shafted the Cubans royally for over 60 years.

I hope it does not all end as bad as it did in the mid to late 1950s, when the Mafia was in full control there.

[LarryBird]

"These agreements are quite unprecedented since private rooms for rent are – at least in theory – illegal and up to this point the big chains had never dealt with the issue except to criticize these accommodations where necessary."

Great, so America gets to be blamed for the ensuing corruption that happens as a result, right?

[morpho]

This will piss off a bunch of Canucks.

[DavidB4]

People are going to go in droves and they are in for some big shocks. Cuba does not have the infrastructure that tourists are accustomed too = nice Hotels/rooms, good food, easy transport and most importantly maybe people who will treat the visitors politely. Of course there are good people there but there are also many who will try to scam the foreigners of every dollar they can. When I was there I have never had so many people approach me with a con, seemed like there was new one on every corner. From "can you go in this store and buy some milk for my baby because I'm not allowed" to the most common "can you help me contact my brother, cousin, uncle, whatever who lives in the US and..." It gets old real fast and rather depressing really, you feel for them.

These are not "cons". Last time I was in Cuba, I responded positively to the "shop" request. Cubans were/are not allowed access to the stores for foreigners, which take only Yankee dollars. Buying something simple for maybe a baby or whatever is no big deal.

What sort of paranoid mentality would see this as a con?

Paranoid mentality...maybe one that just had 6 other people in a row hit him up for something else after a night where someone ripped him off for $50.00. Just because you had a good time there does not mean all the people are nice just like mine does not mean they are all bad. But it is a very different world/country than people are accustomed to, or would you call the paranoid too?!

Edited August 29, 2015 by Scott

[slipperylobster]

People are going to go in droves and they are in for some big shocks. Cuba does not have the infrastructure that tourists are accustomed too = nice Hotels/rooms, good food, easy transport and most importantly maybe people who will treat the visitors politely. Of course there are good people there but there are also many who will try to scam the foreigners of every dollar they can. When I was there I have never had so many people approach me with a con, seemed like there was new one on every corner. From "can you go in this store and buy some milk for my baby because I'm not allowed" to the most common "can you help me contact my brother, cousin, uncle, whatever who lives in the US and..." It gets old real fast and rather depressing really, you feel for them.

My mom's dad was from that area....a "Morales". He used to shine shoes for American Soldiers (true), and they felt sorry for him and smuggled him into the states. (very late 1890's).

I think things will boom for Cubans now. It will happen fast, as many Cuban/Americans and affiliates will invest in tourism. I am sure that Communism now is ready for a quasi-capitalistic injection of money.

Better yet...we can send all the illegal Mexicans there.

[craigt3365]

Tlhe Cuban people/government are being remarkably generous in making peace with this arrogant, aggressive government in Washington, which has shafted the Cubans royally for over 60 years.

I hope it does not all end as bad as it did in the mid to late 1950s, when the Mafia was in full control there.

The Cuban people have nothing to do with this. It's their government that's been repressive the past 60 years. Ask any ordinary Cuban and they'll tell you. Can't blame the US government for this. The mafia was previously in control due to their government at the time. Greedy and corrupt. Nothing to do with the US.

And even if travel restrictions are lifted, it may not become that popular. No restrictions on the DR or Haiti, yet very few vacation there. Just too dangerous.

Cuba's made payments to several other countries for property and business that were nationalized. Basically admitting what they did was wrong.

Cuba has been open to the rest of the world for the past 60 years and yet the island's infrastructure is an absolute mess.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba#Independence_.281902.E2.80.931959.29

The United States government initially reacted favorably to the Cuban revolution, seeing it as part of a movement to bring democracy to Latin America.^[93] Castro's legalization of the Communist party and the hundreds of executions that followed caused a deterioration in the relationship between the two countries.^[93] The promulgation of the Agrarian Reform Law, expropriating thousands of acres of farmland, further worsened relations.^[93] In February 1960, Castro signed a commercial agreement with Soviet Vice-Premier Anastas Mikoyan.^[93]