You know that Havana has become a must-see travel destination when even the pope drops by for a visit.
We cannot know what Pope Francis and Fidel Castro discussed when they met in September 2015, but the chances are that they both shared their astonishment at how suddenly relations are finally starting to improve between Cuba and their massive neighbor, the United States of America.
I like to think to think that the Pope delivered some good-humored ribbing to the communist revolutionary, telling him that he would soon be able to enjoy McDonald’s.
It has taken a long time. The first embargo was imposed upon Cuba by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1960 and, over the following decades, the laws only grew harsher, forbidding not only US citizens and companies from any dealings with Cuba but prohibiting even non-US citizens and companies, on threat of being themselves added to a sanctions blacklist.
Cuba is a fascinating place, with enticing tropical beaches and an energizing culture, so, of course, many people, including some adventurous Americans, found ways to skirt the rules and visit anyway, but it was complicated, usually involving awkward financial arrangements and unnecessary additional flights. You had to be careful to cover your tracks because, if US Immigration officers were suspicious, you could face hefty fines upon your return.
Then, at the tail-end of 2014, Obama surprised everyone by announcing that he was going to start the process of normalizing relations with Cuba by removing them from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and re-establishing diplomatic relations.
There followed a relaxation of the travel bans, with direct commercial flights to Cuba operating from US soil for the first time in decades. The main embargo was still in place, however, so, in order to have permission to go to Cuba, Americans needed to have a convincing reason, in one of several categories (education, family ties etc).
Unfortunately, tourism was not one of those categories, so, the massive invasion of American tourists that everyone in Cuba is hoping for is not going to happen quite yet but, as the Pope’s visit acknowledged, change is in the air.
Some American travel companies have been laying the groundwork to make sure that visitors can get the authentic Cuban experience while enjoying the benefits of modern travel booking. It will take quite a few years before the international hotel chains become operational in Havana but the vacation rentals companies, including WorldEscape, are already on the ground and working fast.
As it happens, thanks to past relaxations of Cuban laws, there is already a strong tradition of "casa particular" accommodation: renting a room in a private house, run as a small business by home-owners, quite similar to our own “Bed & Breakfast” tradition.
WorldEscape is investing heavily in Havana because we are confident that, over the next few years, the embargo will be fully lifted and, also, that burgeoning Cuban entrepreneurialism will mean that a large number of smart, ambitious and hard-working property owners will embrace vacation rentals as the ideal small business.
Just as we do in every other major world city, we will work with private owners to provide guests with private apartments and houses that are more comfortable, spacious and stylish than any of Havana’s sadly dilapidated hotels or, indeed, more authentic than anything the hotel corporation throw up.
