The tourism model in Post-Castro Cuba: Tensions between ideology and economic realities

Cuba is at a crossroads in its transition from a socialist to a market-oriented mixed economy. The death of Fidel Castro, and the steps taken by Raúl Castro to normalize relations between Cuba and the US, have generated a wave of tourism opportunities. However, deep tensions remain between the Cuban state's centralized socioeconomic model and economic realities. Using the framework of diverse economies, we challenge tourism scholars to unlock the diversity of economies and exchanges that exist, and the Cuban case study in this paper assists in demonstrating why this is important. Within this sensitive political context, we analyse entrepreneurial businesses known as casas particulares, and their broader significance for Cuba's political futures within the framework of diverse economies. In doing so, we tap into debates about diverse economies. Ethnographic fieldwork is conducted in Viñales, a municipality which has experienced tourism growth, and since 1999 has been a UNESCO World Cultural Landscape. We explore everyday tourism practices and diverse exchanges in tourism to nuance the social and political significance of the State's policies.