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Anabel Gómez González

Anabel Gómez González

Hello Cuba!

The restoration of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States marks a historical turning point for both countries. In terms of tourism, various scholars are analyzing the possible impact that could be created by the elimination of U.S. restrictions on travel to Cuba, even though all signs seem to indicate that it won’t happen in the short term. A number of tourism industry analysts have gone ahead and provided their predictions, and Professor José Luis Perelló Cabrera, an economist with the University of Havana’s Center for Tourism Studies, talked to OnCuba about some of these expectations. We have to take into account that 50.79 percent of tourist arrivals to Cuba come from North America, that is, three large segments: Canada, our top market; the United States; and Cuban-Americans. The process aimed at normalizing relations, in terms of meetings and the signing of agreements, is moving faster than Cuba’s possibilities of preparing for increased tourism. It’s not just a question of U.S. tourism. According to reports from the National Office of Statistics and Information, ONEI, at the close of February 2015, tourism in Cuba (which had already increased compared to the previous year) had grown by 14.2 percent, which means...