Abstract
The case examines the impressive growth of tourism in Cuba. It analyzes tourism development in a society striving to navigate its way economically amid numerous social and political challenges. The Cuban experiment with tourism is a shortterm mega success. However, it is highly uncertain whether long-term sustainability can be maintained without the appropriate managerial changes at all levels. This paper highlights challenges in the tourism employment sector – training, supervisory issues, and performance evaluation, within a centrally controlled bureaucratic system. Of specific interest is the disconnection between the natural hospitability of the Cuban people and low levels of tourist satisfaction stemming from a lack of professional hospitality. The paper concludes by focusing on the high relevance of the Cuban cultural identity as a key motivator undergirding the demand for tourism. However, with the rapid growth of tourism, strains are occurring in the cultural realm, thus requiring immediate policy intervention for sustained positive results.
Document Type
Article
Source Publication
Tourismos: An International Multidisciplinary Journal of Tourism
Version
Published Version
Publication Date
2010
Volume
5
Issue
2
First Page
129
Last Page
143
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Rights
© University of the Aegean
Recommended Citation
Henthorne, T.L., George, B.P., & Williams, A.J. (2010). The Evolving Service Culture of Cuban Tourism: A Case Study. Tourismos: An International Multidisciplinary Journal of Tourism, 5,(2), 129-143.
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