Cuban President Fidel Castro’s announcement this week concerning his retirement from active politics may have a very positive impact on the country’s tourism industry, especially if the Caribbean nation’s new leaders implement democratic reforms. Cuba is already a hugely popular and relatively affordable sun destination among Canadians looking to escape from the northern country’s winter blues, and Quebec’s discount airline, Air Transat, offers passengers all-inclusive flight, accommodation and board packages. Yet few Americans travel to Cuba. Due to the American embargo against this Communist state, there are no direct flights between any US airport and Cuba and American citizens interested in visiting this country must travel from a major Canadian airport, like Montreal-Trudeau or Toronto-Pearson.

Jean-Claude Baumgarten, the World Travel and Tourism Council’s president, however, noted in an interview that Cuba’s tourism industry may see a real upswing in the coming years, now that Castro is out of the picture, but this process is likely to be gradual. Additionally, Baumgarten does not believe that Cuba’s rise will have an immediate negative effect on tourism in other Caribbean nations. Yet if the US decided to lift the Cuban embargo, Baumgarten predicts that tens of thousands of Americans may choose Cuba as their winter holiday destination, mainly due to the novelty of travel to this Communist country. Baumgarten believes that Cuba will eventually become a “sought after” destination among Americans and other travelers, mainly due to its colourful past. Yet there is also a possibility that political instability in Cuba may lead to a sharp decline in tourism, even on the part of Canadians. As such, the next few months will be critical and observers will watch closely to see if the country is able to go t
hrough an orderly transition from the long Castro era to a potentially more open system of governance.