From Our Bureau of New Advancements in Apartheid Tourism
This new effort to attract Chinese tourists could fizzle, but the fact that China is trying to resurrect Castro, Inc.’s moribund tourist industry is yet another sign of China’s growing engagement with Cuba.
Will China soon replace Canada as the nation that sends the greatest number of apartheid tourists to Cuba?
Probably not. But if the Chinese government is promoting this form of foreign aid to Castro, Inc., this move could give a much-needed boost to Cuba’s dictatorship. After all, China has 1.4 billion potential tourists, whereas Canada only has a mere 38.25 million.
From Havana Times
The rapprochement between Cuba and China takes a new step with the signing of an agreement, this Wednesday, between Havanatur and the Chinese tour operator Tumei International Travel, which will promote the Island as a “reliable and safe destination” for travelers of the Asian giant.
According to the official press, Rodrigo Wen, the deputy general manager of Tumei, said during the signing of the agreement in Havana that Cuba is “a priority destination” and is among the “preferences” of the customers of his company, which is based in Hong Kong.
This week, a delegation from the agency toured Havana, Varadero, Cienfuegos and Trinidad as possible destinations for the arrival of Chinese tourists. The first deputy minister of Tourism in Cuba, María del Carmen Orellana, said that the city of Baracoa, in Guantánamo, is more in line with the needs of the Chinese market with the renovations of hotels after the COVID-19 pandemic. Likewise, she assured that the Cuban side has prepared and studied the characteristics and demands of Chinese travelers to welcome them “with the best service.”
More than sun and beach, tourists from the Asian giant usually travel in groups and are interested in the cultural heritage of the countries they visit, such as museums and galleries. In addition, they allocate a good part of their budget to shopping and prefer places with Internet connections and electronic payment systems.
For Orellana, the “conditions are created for Chinese citizens to feel that Cuba is their second homeland during their stay,” while Tumei’s spokesman pointed out that his company had understood the “concept of a single Cuba.” The signing of the agreement was also attended by Alberto Blanco, director of Asia and Oceania of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Chou Quan, economic adviser of the Chinese Embassy in Havana, who “agreed” on the “excellent state” of relations between the two countries, according to statements repeated in the official press.
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The problem is that Cuba is not a “reliable and safe destination” .
“More than sun and beach, tourists from the Asian giant usually travel in groups and are interested in the cultural heritage of the countries they visit, such as museums and galleries. In addition, they allocate a good part of their budget to shopping and prefer places with Internet connections and electronic payment systems.”
Also there is no Cuban culture. It has been destroyed. It is now just plain grey communism. The shopping is terrible due to exorbitant prices and the Internet connections are slow and unreliable.
Of course none of these problems can be solved because the first step in solving any problem is admitting a problem exists. In Cuba there are no problems. It is by definition a socialist paradise.
I recall Fidel being very critical of the Chinese for abandoning communism. Of course that was before China became the second largest economy in the world.