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Cuba at the Crossroads

The Role of the U.S. Hospitality Industry in Cuban Tourism Initiatives

Brown University, Sergei_Khrushchev{at}brown.edu

Tony L. Henthorne

University of Southern Mississippi, Tony.Henthorne{at}usm.edu

Michael S. Latour

University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Michael.Latour{at}unlv.edu

The U.S. embargo has clearly been costly to the Cuban people, in terms of their health and well-being. Based upon the first author's firsthand, informal personal interactions with the Cuban people, including Cuban president Fidel Castro, as well as the authors' recent qualitative research in Cuba, this article contends that these past decades have fostered a deep degree of distrust between our two peoples. Despite this distrust, U.S. dollars are desired in the Cuban economy. As background, this case offers an historical chronology of Cuban tourism, including the "Special Period" following the demise of the Soviet Union. Current insight is offered into the nature and depth of distrust of the United States, based on interviews with Cuban hospitality managers. Recommendations are then offered for mitigating this problem including a call for in-depth, multifaceted basic and applied cross-cultural research to support intelligent cultural "bridge building" and joint ventures.

Key Words: international tourism • Cuba • ecotourism

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