Cuba and Tourism Essay example -- Latin America

Cuba and touristryErnest Hemingway was no tourist, but his tenderness to Cuba was much like that of the rest of America. The picturesque beaches and tropical climate helped him create verbally novels, but he also loved the daiquiris at the Floridita, the fishing, and the adventurous bootleggers from Florida. Cuba has its beautiful beaches and fish-filled waters, but part of the attraction as well has historically been the generous rum and the anything goes atmosphere. The casinos and nightclubs frequented by tourists bring with them an unsavory element in the remains of organized crime and prostitution. Tourism has its benefits, but in Cuba it is a send away reminder of the islands dependence on wealthy foreign nations for its survival, and the disparity in income between Cubans and their neighbors to the north. The dollar-based society a tourist economy creates is deeply stratified, and conflicts with the ideals of the Castros collectivised revolution. Yet in recent years it has proven to be a good source of hard currency for the struggling economy, and efforts are universe made to expand the industry. By promoting tourism, Cuba is taking advantage of its beauty, but is start itself to unfortunate exploitation.The Playground for North AmericansIn his essay Tourism schooling in Cuba, historian Derek R. Hall describes Cuba in the early 1900s as a playground for North Americans. Just ninety miles from the coast of Florida, Cubas close law of proximity and near-perfect weather made it the premier attraction in the Caribbean for American tourists. Americans had always traveled to Cuba, even when it was still a Spanish colonial possession. Businesses in the United States had invested extensively in Cuba, and the two were big trading partners. Cu... ...om Tourism & The Less Developed Countries, Harrison, David, editor. Belhaven Press, London, 1992. Page 110.14. Eckstein, Page 39. (handout)15. Ibid, Page 67-68.16. Hall, Derek R., Tourism discipline in Cuba, from Tourism & The Less Developed Countries, Harrison, David, editor. Belhaven Press, London, 1992. Page 113.17. Grossman, Cathy Lynn. Sea swop for tourism in Cuba Visitors find island in flux, USA Today, January 19, 1996, page 5D. 18. Benesch, Susan. travel for tourists, Cuba hosts Playboy, St. Petersburg Times, January 31, 1991, Page 19A. 19. Boudreaux, Richard., Cuba Hopes Its Doctors Can Cure the Economy, Los Angeles Times, February 19, 1991, Page 4, Column 1. 20. Lapper, Richard., Its back on the road to prosperity Tourism. Financial Times (London), meet 24, 1999, Page 3.21. Ibid, Page 3.