Saturday, June 10, 2017

Clearly...

"Socialist Worker Peasant's Paradise" ≠ "Paradise".

This is why American tourists don’t want to travel to Cuba - MarketWatch
Indeed, the initial excitement about the formerly closed off country gave way to moral dilemmas over food shortages and other problems caused by tourism, as well as disappointment over limited working internet, lower hotel standards, and lack of running water there. The Allianz study found lack of travel infrastructure was a major cause of anxiety about traveling to Cuba for 13% of Americans.

The slide in demand has led a number of airlines to reduce or completely eliminate flights to the country...

Sumers suggested confusion over the approved reasons to go to Cuba is keeping the average American visitor away still. As of May 2017, visitors to the country have to select one of 12 categories for their visit, which include religious activities, humanitarian projects, “support for the Cuban people,” and journalistic activities. “You can’t go to Cuba to sit on the beach and have fun and that’s what Americans like to do on vacation,” he said. “Cuba is a bit of an outlier still — it is not easy to visit and for a lot of people it’s still a pain. You have to really want to go there.”

...

Cuba has a long way to go before it’s suitable for many high-maintenance American tourists. “This will come with certain expectations: Americans expect that cell phones will work, credit cards will work, and that access to internet won’t be limited,” ...
(Emphasis added.)

So, let me get this straight, you want my money, in exchange for not letting me do what I like to do on vacation? And you can't (or won't) let me stay in touch with the folks back home?

I talked the other day with a co-worker about a recent (Trans-Panama Canal) cruise she went on, and she's already excited about the Cuba cruise she is planning to sign on for: "Just waiting for a bargain rate." A cruise may be the way to do that, since you are not reliant on the "tourism infrastructure",  although it sounds like the Cubans are very insistent about the excursions allowed. (I.e., you have to go on their excursions. But then, it's a Socialist Worker Peasant's paradise, what other excursions are there...?)

I had heard that Cuba was a popular destination for Canadians and Europeans who wanted fun in the sun sans Yankees. Now I'm wondering if that was exaggerated.

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