The Black Sheep

It seems that Cuba is in some way or another are always in the mainstream media. Whether it being the appointment of Raul Castro as Cuba’s new leader, Fidel’s endless operations, or as of yesterday, a Florida Court ruling that Florida’s travel agents should not have to pay the compulsory US$250,000 bond to organize bookings to the Socialist island. This court ruling is particularly important news for Florida based travel agents as Cuban-Americans are allowed to obtain a visa from the US Federal government and travel back to Cuba once every three years. It’s a substantial market and if Barack Obama has anything to do with it, it’s about to get bigger. If elected, he’s promising “unlimited family travel and remittances to the island”.

However America is still not Cuba’s main market for travel. Because of the lengthy restrictions that are still being placed on the American tourist traveling to Cuba, Europe is “the number one market for Cuba” [World Travel & Tourism Council]. I assume this is because there is somewhat of a shroud of mystery surrounding the “black sheep” of the Caribbean region. We should all know the history – 1959 Fidel Castro overthrows the corrupt government of Fulgencio Batista and places himself at the head of Cuba’s government, resulting in the United States closing it’s borders to the new Communist presence and large amounts of the Cuban upper-class fleeing to Florida.

As a result of Cuba’s bad behaviour, no one is really allowed to talk to them, let alone trade with them. Therefore, Cuba is stuck in somewhat of a time warp from 1959. They sustain their own economy by being mostly self-sufficient and of course through tourism, which supplies their struggling economy with foreign currency. In fact, tourism is their main source of income. My sister lived in Cuba for 6 months and tells me tales of their topsy-turvy society where those who work in the tourism industry are some of the more well paid individuals due to the gratuity of kind visitors, while doctors and the large majority of the Cuban population earn between US$10-15 a month. Everyone said that the death of Fidel would change it all, but despite his various ailments nothing seems to have changed. The majority of the Cuban people still love him, their poverty now do not compare to the hardships and corruption they faced under Batista. At least with Fidel they have food.

But, will Fidel’s death really make that much of a difference? Raul has stepped into his position quite seamlessly. Of course, it will make international headline news. However, change in Cuba will probably not come suddenly. It will be gradual, like all lasting change. It will come from the society itself and it has already begun as a result of tourism. It is hard for Cubans to leave their country. The rigorous process they have to go through can make it pointless at times. From what I understand, it’s worse than the Australian immigration system (which I believe is on par with the US)! Cubans can only travel abroad if “invited” by the destination country. Travel to Cuba is encouraged by the Castro government, but once there foreigners and Cubans are encouraged to stay separate. My sister tells me that this is for the protection of travelers so that they are not swindled out of their money. But I have my doubts. Maybe it’s also to maintain a certain amount of ignorance amongst the Cuban population? We cannot forget the paternalistic nature of a Socialist society. Looking to the state for direction and conformity is of paramount importance.

However, the tourism industry is pulling large droves of the sophisticated European set to the Varadero region - five star Italian hotels line this luxury stretch of beach. With all this money swirling around, Cubans are obviously curious about the outside world. To them, we’re all multi millionaires and they’re realizing that the government is inhibiting their progress. So my point? I believe that change in Cuba will come. Maybe not as soon as we’d think or even like. But it will come because it is always inevitable and it has already started as a result of the tourism industry educating the Cuban people about the outside world. Tourism is fundamentally about the education of a culture and Cuba proves that education should always go both ways – from the teacher to the pupil and visa versa.