A Tourist's Cuba Versus The Real Cuba

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This is a Cuban tourism commercial that airs in foreign countries to entice people to travel to Cuba. Slickly produced by an arm of the Cuban military government, there's a reason why the military wants you to travel to Cuba - the more tourists that travel there, the more money that ends up in their pockets.

Ignorance is bliss. These tourists enjoy Havana's finest hotels and restaurants at the expense of the Cuban people

If you don't think that the bulk of the money that tourists spend in traveling to Cuba lines the pockets of Cuba's military elite, let me introduce you to a conglomerate created by Raul Castro after he took over the reins of power from his dead brother.

It's known as GAESA, short for Cuba's Armed Forces Business Enterprises Group and it is headed by General Luis Alberto Rodriguez, President Raul Castro’s son-in-law.

All state hotels and eateries in colonial Old Havana are controlled by GAESA. GAESA also controls virtually all of the stores, gas stations, supermarkets and malls in the country - the ones that sell products such as food, beverages, clothing, appliances, and gasoline.

So, for all practical purposes, when tourists buy a bottle of water in Cuba, pay for a hotel room, or eat a restaurant, the people that profit are Raul Castro, his family, and his cronies in the military.

I intend to devote a future post to GAESA so I can peel more of that onion for you lest you continue to have doubts about my  characterization of GAESA. But rest assured, it's a fact - GAESA has its tentacles in all aspects of Cuban life.

While tourists are enlarging the bank accounts of the military elite, the Cuban people suffer. Tourists stay in shiny new hotels and eat well in fine restaurants. But the Cuban people? Not a chance. Unless you work at a resort, hotel, or restaurant you are forbidden from even setting foot inside any of those establishments.

The dichotomy between tourist and local is glaring and immense. Here are but a few examples of the differences between the experiences of a tourist versus a local.

This is a typical resort hotel in Cuba

This is where the Cuban people live


This is a room in a Havana hotel.


This is a room in a typical Cuban household.



This is a market for tourists.


This is a market for locals.


This is a shop for tourists.


This is a shop for Cubans.


A swimming pool for tourists only.


Swimming pools for Cuban children.


The beach for tourists.


The beach for the Cuban people.


So if you're planning to take your next vacation in Cuba, Raul Castro and the other members of his military elite thank you. Their bank accounts grow by the minute while the Cuban people endure incredible hardships.

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