Why tourism is no longer promoted
Posted on Thu, Jan. 10, 2008
By BILL PERRY
drbillperry@comcast.net
I decided after my last trip two years ago that I wouldn't be going to
Cuba again in the near future. It was just too depressing -- nothing
works, everything is falling apart, and the agony of the Cuban people
and their day-to-day living are hard to tolerate on a constant basis.
That and Fidel Castro's new anti-tourism efforts, such as charging
people 20 percent of the money they bring into Cuba, made that decision
easy.
So why did I go back in December? I have some very dear friends in
Havana whom I missed. That and the fact that once Cuba gets under your
skin, there is always a pull to go back. This time, unfortunately,
despite things rather than because of them.
The situation has deteriorated and continues to do so. People are more
angry, depressed and desperate than ever. During the ''Special Period,''
when the Soviet Union left Castro high and dry, people had money but
there was nothing to buy with it. Nada. Not even food. One day, or so it
seemed, all the cats in Havana disappeared. Now, it's the inverse: There
are lots of things, but no money with which to buy them. If you think
about this for a minute, it is easy to see how this is even worse. The
people are tormented on a daily basis -- seeing things, food and
clothing that they cannot buy.
Why is it worse? It's the decline in tourism and tourist dollars, much
of which went directly into the hands of the Cuban people. With newfound
oil reserves, Hugo Chávez and China, the government of Cuba no longer
needs tourism, which it always accepted reluctantly anyway. Now tourism
is actively discouraged. I mentioned the 20 percent fee on money. In
addition, police are cracking down heavily on Cubans associating with
foreigners. Cuban women being seen with tourists, no questions asked,
are being put away for two to six years.
Yes, I said years. In the past, I couldn't walk 10 feet without someone
wanting to strike up a conversation with me (for better or worse), and
this time no one would approach me, nor would people respond if I tried
to talk to them. I just got a look that seemed to say ''I'd really love
to, but I just can't!'' It was so different, and for the first time in
my 12 visits to Cuba, I felt lonely there.
Why doesn't Cuba want tourism? Because the last thing Castro wants is
foreigners coming in and giving ''dangerous'' ideas to Cubans -- ideas
like freedom, that sort of thing.
Meanwhile, the infrastructure is crumbling fast. I didn't see any
construction work on the decaying buildings and roads. I saw a lot of
cosmetic work being done on tourist hotels, though, and the tourist
section of Old Havana.
Do you want to know the truth about the Cuban medical system? It's
abysmal, unless of course you are a foreigner seeking treatment in Cuba
(or Michael Moore). People are desperate for medications. Doctors refuse
to see them without being bribed. If you want an ambulance, you better
be prepared to bribe the drivers.
The people's goodness
No money? Tough luck.
Sick? Go wait six hours at a clinic and get a prescription for something
that you could never fill, even if you had the money. All this while
foreigners get superb medical care and get to walk wherever they want
and stay in hotels built by people who aren't allowed near them.
Because of abject (and appropriate) fear of the police, I couldn't go
anywhere with my Cuban friends. The only places we could be together
were secretly in their homes, like rats hiding in a basement.
Despite the above, the trip was enjoyable and meaningful for me, thanks
to the goodness of the Cuban people. I finally understood the hatred
that most Cubans feel toward Castro. I understood it because I now feel
it myself. And I won't be going back anytime in the near future. But I
guess I said that before, didn't I?
Bill Perry is a psychologist in San Francisco.
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