Meliá Hotels, the leading foreign hotel company in Cuba, and Airbnb, the U.S.-based room rental platform, are seemingly in the same business. Yet details of each company’s performance in Cuba illustrate how different they are in terms of impact on travelers – with implication for the future of the travel and tourism industry everywhere.
There is no other major destination in the world with visibility on 500% growth in travel and tourism other than Cuba. A recent IMF working paper, “Revisiting the Potential Impact to the Rest of the Caribbean from Opening US-Cuba Tourism”, suggests, “the apprehension of the Caribbean tourism industry towards a change in US travel policy … Read more
By Mary Anne Bargen, Cuba Journal contributor When I decided to venture to Cuba for the first time, it was a no brainer to check into what was available on Airbnb. I’ve relied on the service when traveling both across the states and abroad, and prefer staying in apartments and homes to hotels. Havana would … Read more
Amid the hand wringing over exactly how Cuba and the U.S. can annul a 56-year-old divorce, some magic has been happening between an island nation that punches above its weight in many arenas and a U.S.-based room rental platform with some high concept ideas about how to improve humanity. A closer look at Airbnb’s success … Read more
Since the 2014 US-Cuba rapprochement, finding a hotel room in Cuba hasn’t just been hard — it’s been nigh impossible. But there are other ways to find a place to stay in Cuba, beyond tour operators, local agencies and, of course, Airbnb. But now another major hospitality player has joined the fray. Enter Homestay.com, which … Read more
Navigating Havana’s hotel and rental scene can be tricky, but that’s why Cuba Journal is here to help. Our Airbnb Cuba feature looks at some of the more interesting places to stay in Havana and the wider island. This one, for example, even comes with its own pool and snack bar. The funky property with … Read more
Our new feature, Airbnb Cuba, takes a look at the best places to stay on Airbnb in Cuba. And we begin with a stunner: a Pinar del Rio property that’s set on a tobacco plantation. It bills itself as an “authentic cigar and eco tourism experience” in the heart of Cuba’s tobacco region — targeted for … Read more
Acclaimed actress Rosario Dawson hosted a major Airbnb event in New York this week that celebrated the upcoming one-year anniversary of the historic rapprochement between Cuba and the United States. Dawson was joined at the fete by Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba, a Cuban dance troupe which was in New York to perform “Cuba Vibra,” a … Read more
By the Cuba Journal staff The average state salary in Cuba is somewhere around $20 a month, although many on the island live on far less than that, according to figures from Cuba’s national statistical office. And while Cuba’s economy is slowly beginning to change, one new player in the market is having a far … Read more
by Simons Chase According to economic development theory, technology transfer and deregulation hold great promise as a pathway for developing countries, like Cuba, to lift incomes, stimulate foreign direct investment and enhance quality of life. To date, the ligature between this type of neoclassical growth model and actual results has been government policy supported by … Read more
