INTERNATIONAL TOURISM AND THE CUBAN ECONOMY
Three Stages Of Tourism Development
• 1915 – 1930 nearness to USA East coast; good sanitary conditions; Prohibition Act
• 1950 – 1958 linked to USA mafia business for gambling, prostitution & drugs • 1990 – 2000 searching news paths for tourism development
Tourism Development In The 90´
1990
International arrivals (000) 340
2000
1774
Annual growth
18 %
Gross Revenues (million usd)
243
1952
23 %
Rooms for international tourism 12 9OO 35 293
11 %
Impact On The National Economy
1990 Tourism income as % of total income in the balance of payments 4% 1999 43%
Tourism purchase in local market as percent of all purchases Direct employment (000)
Indirect employment (000)
17%
48 30
61%
100 200
Foreign Participation
Joint ventures 50 – 50 %
Rooms Hotel management contracts
2000
3 687 Hotels
2005
10 000 Rooms
Seventeen international companies operate
50
16 000
Americans tourists travels to Cuba
• In the last four decades USA Administrations prohibited Americans to travel to Cuba – it is estimated that those measures inhibit 25 million to visit the island. • These prohibitions affected the Cuban tourism and cruisers trade for $15.7 billion. • By alternatives routes and means 77 000 Americans visited Cuba last year.
Actions suggested for the Caribbean region
• Coordination of pricing policies for tourism services. • Creation of regional airlines. • Establishing of strategic alliances regarding development of new tourism products. • Multidestination promotion, building on strength + differences of participating countries & encouraging turoperators in these programs.
Subsequent analysis of the tourism annex proposal shall be oriented to increase its helpfulness to developing countries regarding the threats of globalization