| | : | ; | | ~~ CUBAN TOURISM 35,000 Canadians can’t be wrong! By LESLIE HUNT Canadians have-a love affair with Cuba. We'like its sun, sea and sand for a winter break and a refreshing adventure _ IN a totally different environment. Only a few hours flying time from the frozen north brings you smack into shirt sleeve weather. Some astute planners €ven store their woolies and outer wear at the airport of their departure, the bet- ter to switch back and reduce the return shock when homeward bound. Thirty-five thousarid Canadians have Visited this sub-tropical island this winter. Season. They come from all parts of Canada. It is not uncommon to find at the same hotel or beach, visitors from Hali- fax, Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and Points between, including people from my home base of the District of Muskoka. Thus, Canada, the second largest - country and with the smallest population density (S per sq. km) come here to rendezvous with the sun, and share the best that nature can offer in this land of 10 million people that enjoys a population density 17 times our own. ‘ All about Tourism This is a gorgeous day in Havana and I walk the few blocks from the Hotel St. John’s to the headquarters of the Cuba Tourist Board at Calle 23, number 156, Vedado. \ Jorge Debasa is director-general of Cubatur, and he invites us to ask as many questions as we wish, while he does his best to answer all. Like all we’ve inter- viewed, he is grateful to receive a rep- resentative of the Canadian Tribune. Ina Havana skyline. x jocular vein he tells us he runs a ‘‘monopoly’’ of Cuban tourism. ‘*But this is a monopoly for Cuba’s benefit and not a rip-off for foreign (USA) entre- preneurs.”’ SOCIALIST CUBA 25 YEARS FOURTH OF ASERIES Prior to the revolution, Cuban tourism ‘ was in the hands of U.S. racketeers and out-and-out crooks, including a few from Canada. So blatant was their flouting of all decency they didn’t bother to camouflage their sordid operations, and promoted Havana as the sex capital of — the world. In the 20s and up to 1958 these foreig- ners built dozens of hotelsin Havanaand | Varadero and turned them into gambling dens and brothels for the sex-depraved and degenerate scum of their own popu- lation. The only Cubans allowed into the ‘ hotels and resorts were hired staff and prostitutes. One estimate I saw stated ’ there were 100,000 Cuban women in the sex trade for Yankee masters. Washed Away the Dung In January 1959, the taxi driver who took me from José Marti Airport to Havana enquired what sort of sex orgy would pléase me. “You know what I mean,” he im- plored, “‘boy and girl, all boys — or what?” ‘ Dead silence prevailed when I told him I was here to report on the revolution for the Canadian Tribune, a revolution that apparently had not yet caught up with that man. Yes, you could say that the Americans left a stain on Cuban tourism. They pros- — _tituted prostitution and established here one of the first markets for the porno- graphic’ output of the California-based sex industry. But 25 years has washed away the dung, and now the tarnished image is obliterated forever. The beautiful beaches and lush countryside are open to the world for healthy enjoyment and fun. One of the promises that Fidel gave the Cuban people during the armed struggle was an assurance that victory would re- form the tourist industry — expel the racketeers, confiscate the hotels, open up the tourist facilities for all Cubans. Today, the evidence is there for all to | see. Cubans of all jobs strata have entry — to the hotels, including teenagers out for a fun weekend. 3 History books record that a man named C. Columbus landed here in Oc- tober 1492 and sent a message back to his Spanish boss: “This is the most beautiful island yet, the most colorful birds and lush green forests ever seen!”’ But King Fedinand was not the least impressed with natural beauty, and im- mediately dispatched a band of entre- preneurs to put the native population, whom Columbus had misnamed Indians, to work digging for gold. Expanding Tourist Facilities Cubatur chief Debasa told me that Cuban tourist facilities will expand at a rate of 15-20 per cent during the next few years. Already there are 10,000 rooms, and the prospects are that this will double in the next few years. : ‘‘Canadians,”’ he said, ‘‘are at present our largest market. My country has good relations with Canada; our evidence is that Canadian tourists like what Cuba has to offer.”’ By next winter season, October to Ap- Leslie Hunt is a Canadian who first reported the ‘Cuban revolution for the Tribune 25 years ago, in January 1959. dividual tourism is on the increase; many travellers ask for arrangements for hunt- ing and fishing trips. For the super-rich, who like to travel in their own yacht or cruiser, the Cuban Travel Catalogue Jorge Debasa gave me, states: “*Tourists arriving by yacht, when 12 miles off the coast are obliged to communicate via UHF on channel 16 to the Intur nautical base.” ‘ Specialized tours are available for ip Hon ase : Resi ald Varadero, 100 km from Havana, boasts 20 km of white sand beaches and long-established facilities for entertainment. ril, Cubana Airlines will be bringing - tourists from Madrid, Rome, Paris, Lon- don and other European cities. The air- line is now expanding to handle this new market. Socialist countries were fore- runners in discovering the holiday great- néss of this jewel of the Caribbean. From Havana to Santiago de Cuba, construction cranes vie with the elegant, towering royal palms for skyline atten- tion. Varadero may be best known to Canadians. Located 160 km (100 miles) from Havana, it boasts 20 km of white sand beaches, and long-established facilities for entertainment — concerts, cabarets, fiestas, water activities, sports, et al. But we are also becoming familiar with tourist facilities being developed in the areas of Camaguey, Guantanamo, Bayamo, Sancti Spiritus and many more. Besides the familiar group tours in- » health (check-up and treatment), sports, cultural events, scuba diving, teaching and learning, professional and, of course, conventions of all types and status. There are now 300,000 camping sites for the young and handy, located in eas- ily accessible areas, including the Isle of Youth. Tourist facilities are not being de- veloped for the exclusive use of foreig- ners. All these are owned by the Cuban people and indeed are used by them, par- ticularly in summer. All Cuban workers have annual 30-day holidays with full pay. For the first time in their lives in this most beautiful island, Cubans, in the 25 years of socialism,-have been and are enjoying the sun, sea and sand. It belongs to them. _ of election - GDR economy booms ahead On the eve | From Berlin ‘SAS re a N08 SO ER A ed TR tA Fils Delisle BERLIN — Both German states have announced their predictions for developments in their respective countries in the coming year. Cutting across the establishment propaganda and wishful thinking in the west, the predictions make clear the following picture: In the capitalist Federal Republic the monopolies’ profits will rise, poverty, insecurity and homeless people will remain, and the number of unemployed will be well over two million; in the socialist GDR, on the other hand, full employment will continue, the national income will grow, people will have more money, industry and the. economy will expand in accordance with the current plan. ‘ a 3 The forecasts for the FRG have been made by the Bonn government and five leading economic institutes who produced a report on the economic picture in the FRG. Hailed in the West German press that this year things are ‘“‘picking up’’, the report actually predicts something quite different. That is, it sees an improve- ment in business, but at the expense of the people. It says flatly mass unemployment will remain. In short, it pre- - dicts good times for the capitalists and bad times for the working people. In the GDR, on the other hand, the promise of the future is already contained in current progress. In the first quarter of 1984, the planned advance in the . economy has already been achieved. In the first three months of the year, the national income increased five’ per cent. The turnover in industrial goods was higher by 6.6 per cent. ; It can thus be said that improvements in the FRG’s economy will keep money flowing into the pockets primarily of the capitalists, while in the GDR steady economic advance will exclusively benefit the people who work by hand or brain, which is the population as a whole. : It is no accident, therefore, that discussions and pre- _ parations for the elections to the GDR’s~ People’s Chamber and local legislative bodies on May 6 are pro- ceeding in an atmosphere of confidence. In industrial plants, institutions and local areas innumberable meet- ings have been held to- assess the work of elected rep- resentatives and new candidates coming up for election. None of the circus atmosphere of U.S. elections is found ‘here. —— SUERTE PACIFIC TRIBUNE, MAY 2, 1984 e 19