Lessons Learned

As an International Affairs major, I knew very little about cultural tourism. Most of the coursework I have taken at GW consists of history and research papers, not hospitality and business analytics. I did, however, have preconceived notions about tourism in developing countries. I have seen how capitalist industries like the tourism sector do more harm than good for locals. For example, tourist companies have privatized Jamaican beaches to the point where they are not accessible to locals. That being said, I was very skeptical about Intrepid actually being able to offer a “cultural exchange” type of travel experience. I was also not sure if a booming tourism sector would benefit Cuban locals or if it was something that they even wanted to begin with. 

The first takeaway from this course was that locals do in fact want a booming tourism sector. This is primarily because they think an increase in tourism will lead to a more profitable government and more money for local hosts. People-to-people travel has allowed Cubans to increase their living wage through the privatization of business and tips. Through this type of travel, you can directly see where your money is going. I remember staying at a Casa Particular in Cienfuegos with our host Lily. Her house was aesthetically nicer and bigger than those around her. This was because her husband sent back remittances from the United States, but she also made more money as a host. 

My second takeaway was that the tourism sector within a country must develop at a pace that locals are comfortable with and prepared for. As our tour guide Inti pointed out, he is hesitant to have Americans visit Cuba in the masses because he does not think Cuba is ready for them. According to him, Americans expect a certain level of detail that Cuban restaurant owners, hotel staff, etc. are not trained to cater to. This was incredibly honest and true. Although government owned hotels are rated five stars, they are considered three stars in comparison to the hotels in the “developed” world. 

My third takeaway is that local interaction and group dynamics make or break trips like these. When analyzing our overall travel experience with Intrepid, two common themes among all reviews were positive dynamics within travel groups and interactions with Cuban locals. They added value to itineraries and set Intrepid’s Hola Cuba travel experience apart from the rest. I will always remember all the times Inti woke us up by getting on the microphone and saying “wakey wakey”, Stuart’s salsa moves, and surprising Inti and Ariel with an anniversary cake in Trinidad.