Paolo Spadoni, PhD
Associate Professor of Political Science Augusta University
- Augusta GA
Dr. Paolo Spadoni is a widely recognized expert on Cuba and its international relations.
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Cuba hit hard by lack of tourists, but YoYos and American visitors soften the blow
Babalu Blog online
2024-06-23
As hotels keep being built by Castro, Inc. and its foreign partners in crime, tourists are still staying away from Castrogonia. The desperately needed post-Covid bounce is simply not happening. As usual, Canadians led the way with about a half million tourists. Sadly, the number two spot went to Cuban YoYos, and third place was claimed by Americans, whose numbers have increased dramatically. The rest of the top suppliers of tourists, in descending order, were Russia, England, Germany, France, Italy, Spain. Attracting Russians and Chinese is proving harder than expected.
Despite the embargo, which the regime blames for the slow recovery of its tourism sector, the United States ranks third as a source of visitors to Cuba (102,767). In this case, the number of travelers nearly doubled compared to 2023 (55,410).
Following are Russia (70,668), England (33,351), Germany (28,008), France (25,253), Italy (22,465), Spain (21,543), and Mexico (20,237).
In the ONEI list showing the top ten sources of visitors to Cuba, the only ones that showed an increase compared to 2023, besides the US, were Russia, from where 67,621 people traveled in 2023; France (21,731 in 2023), and Spain (17,261).
By month, the figures of international visitors were 259,898 in January, 268,201 in February, 281,139 in March, 215,158 in April, and 150,492 in May.
This month, Paolo Spadoni, an associate professor at Augusta University and expert in Cuban tourism, predicted that in 2024 the Government will again fail to meet its goal of 3.2 million tourists for the year.
Cuba woos Russians, Chinese to revive ailing tourist sector
Reuters print
2024-06-10
Russian tourist Serguei Boyaryshnic wandered in awe among the pastel-colored buildings and cobblestone streets of Old Havana on a weekday morning, his family in tow.
"We had heard a lot about Cuba. Our countries have been friends for years," said the 36-year-old Moscow resident, who had joined a small tour group. "We love everything about it."
Cuba has recently begun offering perks to entice visitors like Boyaryshnic from allied countries such as Russia and China as it struggles to revive a stagnant tourism sector still struggling to recover from the pandemic.
Stiff U.S. sanctions imposed by former president Donald Trump contributed to a sharp reduction in U.S. visitors and arrivals from many European countries have also dropped off this year, state data shows.
Cuba's bet on distant countries may not make up for the overall visitor decline, said Paolo Spadoni, an associate professor at Augusta University and expert on Cuban tourism. A trip from Beijing, with layovers, for example, can require 24 hours or more of travel.
New Cuba reform allows farmers to hire workers directly
Investing.com online
2016-12-16
Paolo Spadoni, the author of several books on the Cuban economy, said Cuba should on the contrary liberalize distribution, reduce the state quota for Cuban producers and give farmers freer rein to set their own prices...
Cuba to legally recognize private firms in move bolstering market reforms
Reuters online
2016-05-24
"It remains to be seen whether these activities will be allowed," said Paolo Spadoni, a Cuba expert in the department of political science at Augusta University in the U.S. state of Georgia...
'A Series of Razors Waiting to Cut You': The High Cost of Doing Business in Cuba
Vice News online
2016-03-25
One analyst described the present time as a "rare opportunity" for US businesses to get into Cuba. Another called Cuba the "greatest investment opportunity of the 21st century." But there's also danger. Any entrepreneur entering Cuba "will want to be overly cautious right now," says Paolo Spadoni, a professor of political science at Augusta University and author of the book Cuba's Socialist Economy Today: Navigating Challenges and Change. "Even inviting your [business] partner to a restaurant, this kind of activity will be way more scrutinized than it was before."
In Cuba, racial inequality deepens with tourism boom
Reuters online
2016-02-02
"Afro-Cubans have been the biggest reservoir of support for the revolution and are those most affected by worsening inequality," Paolo Spadoni, a political scientist at Augusta University in the United States told the Thomson Reuters Foundation...
Economica cubana y los costos del crecimiento
Havana Times online
2015-07-09
Chovinismo aparte, parece que la economía cubana está a punto de convertirse en trending topic, si no lo es ya.
“A veces se olvida que estamos en un mundo globalizado –comenta Paolo Spadoni, profesor de la Augusta University-, y pensamos que las compañías que invierten aquí son españolas, francesas, danesas… Si uno mira la composición de esas empresas verá capital norteamericano muy significativo”.
As Fidel Castro and his Cuban revolution fade, is Cuba rising?
The Christian Science Monitor online
2010-11-27
Seismic changes in the communist economy built by Fidel Castro are enriching some Cubans, scaring others, and sparking imaginations: Will the Caribbean gem shine again?
Cuban tourism industry flounders as sunseekers look elsewhere
Reuters online
2022-02-18
Cuba is struggling to reawaken its tourism industry after months of pandemic-induced slumber as travelers stay away, threatening to derail the government's plan to haul the economy out of a deepening crisis.
The communist-run island, long a popular Caribbean destination, has been betting on tourism to power 4% economic growth this year after the coronavirus pandemic slashed output, resulting in food and medicine shortages and power outages, and contributing to the largest anti-government protests since Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution.
News about the protests, the reaction, and economic woes were likely also putting off the return of tourists from outside the United States, said Paolo Spadoni, an expert on the Cuban economy at Augusta University in Georgia.
That includes Canadian and Latin American travelers, previously both frequent visitors to the island, he said.
"All those negative headlines didn't help Cuba attract a greater number of tourists," he said.
Russians disappear from Cuba beaches, casting doubt on tourism recovery
NBC News online
2022-03-11
When planeloads of Russian tourists left Cuba this week, their vacations interrupted by war in Ukraine, it marked a sad day in the resort town of Varadero, a visible sign the conflict will rattle the island nation’s fragile economy.
Varadero, a finger of white sand extending out into the blue Caribbean sea, has long been a magnet for Russians fleeing the northern winter.
In 2021, with much of the world hunkered down amid the coronavirus pandemic, visitors from Russia soared to 40% of total arrivals in Cuba, according to government figures.
No Fuel? No Problem: Tourists in Cuba Brave Worsening Shortages
US News and World Report print
2023-03-17
British birdwatcher Harriet Babeo arrived at Cuba's Bay of Pigs earlier this week and promptly racked up 80 species for her list including the world's smallest hummingbird and the elusive red, white and blue Cuban trogon, rarities found only the island.
Far more challenging, she told Reuters, was hunting down a few liters of gasoline for her group's rental car.
"We've gone ... three days now, and (the service stations) have had nothing," Babeo said over breakfast, binoculars and bird book near at hand, at a private home-stay on Cuba's serene Bay of Pigs.
Tourists like Babeo who spoke with Reuters often raved about their experience in Cuba, praising the country's hospitality, culture and weather. But increasingly, says Paolo Spadoni, an economist with Augusta University, visitors must confront the realities of Cuba's economic crisis - the worst in decades - an ominous headwind as the country struggles to breathe new life into its all-important tourism sector.
Articles
Dealing with the New Cuba
Ivey Business Journal2015
Putting an end to decades of unproductive hostility, the Obama administration will move to fully restore diplomatic ties with Cuba and ease travel and commerce restrictions. This article explores some of the implications of this move...
Will They Still Love Us Tomorrow? Canada-Cuba Business Relations and the End of the US Embargo
Thunderbird International Business Review2012
This article looks at the business prospects for Canadian firms resulting from a gradual easing of US economic sanctions against Cuba...
The truth about Cuba?
Canadian Foreign Policy Journal2011
Canadian Cuba observers must strive to develop a balanced understanding of these competing narratives about Cuba and of the people who tell them...
