The Cuban Threat

NALs · #1 12-03-2006, 09:28 PM

What do you think the opening of Cuba to Americans would mean to Dominican tourism?

A) Dominican tourism will collapse.

B) Dominican tourism will be hard hit.

C) Dominican tourism will not feel much.

D) It will mean nothing, Dominican tourism will remain strong.

For more insight into this, please visit the latest thread about this topic. The link is under my own quote from that thread:

Quote:

Will it hurt the European component of Dominican tourism? No, Cuba is already one of the largest tourist destinations in the Caribbean with around 2 million tourists (almost all Europeans, although many Americans do visit despite the embargo). DR has not started to bleed because of that competition, despite the fact that many of the Spanish owned resorts that exist in the DR also have similar resorts in Cuba as well. Also, Cuba's tourism is on the all-inclusive model just like the DR's.

Will it hurt the American component of Dominican tourism? Don't know by how much, after all, Puerto Rico is an american territory. They can travel there without a passport, without changing currency, if they stick to San Juan's colonial core, Condado, and Isla Verde areas they don't even need to learn a few Spanish words!! Despite that, Dominican tourism has seen an upsurge in visits from Americans, that's taking into the account the necessity of having a passport, exchanging money, having to deal with customer service that is not always able to communicate in anything other than Spanish and/or a very sketchy English, etc. If DR managed to increase its American tourists without throwing Puerto Rico into a tailspin, well then what could be expected once Cuba opens up to the American market?

... competition never hurts. If anything, it makes the products better.

If that is not the case, can someone list just ONE tourist destination on this earth that has been doomed due to increased competition?

And no, tourist destinations that collapsed due to political instability, economic meltdowns, etc does not count.

List just ONE destination that has gone belly up due to competition alone.

Fidel's Demise and What it means to the DR

-NALs

dominimom · #2 12-04-2006, 12:41 AM

It does not matter how much Dominican will advance in their economy, tourism, etc. I grew up there and even though, now you have the American franchises etc I think the DR it's looking more like Haiti. There are alot of Hatians in the country that are bringing down the standard of living in the DR. Nor Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamica and any other island in the Caribbean has to carry with such a heavy burden as it is Haiti, the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. That is why, I do not see potential future long term. Things will contibue to improve and at the same time deteriorate. Until it'll catch up. Dominicans are not investing in education and that is a HUGE problem.

SantiagoDR · #3 12-04-2006, 07:35 AM

It was hard to choose between (A) Dominican tourism will collapse and (B) Dominican tourism will be hard hit.

If things continue like they have been going here, I believe it's going to be very difficult for the DR. I think the Cuban government would be more tourist friendly, such as the control of crime than what currently is the case in the DR.

The DR's main goal seems to be to pay the politicians, their family and friends at all costs. Cuba maybe more positioned to control crime as opposed to the DR. And if the Cuban women are as tourist "friendly" as the Dominican women, people would go to the less crime ridden country. Cuba would become the "In place to go", at least for quite awhile. The thrill of the adventure would lead many there for one thing.

Don - SantiagoDR

Berzin · #4 12-04-2006, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dominimom

It does not matter how much Dominican will advance in their economy, tourism, etc. I grew up there and even though, now you have the American franchises etc I think the DR it's looking more like Haiti. There are alot of Hatians in the country that are bringing down the standard of living in the DR. Nor Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamica and any other island in the Caribbean has to carry with such a heavy burden as it is Haiti, the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. That is why, I do not see potential future long term. Things will contibue to improve and at the same time deteriorate. Until it'll catch up. Dominicans are not investing in education and that is a HUGE problem.

Yeah, right-blame Haiti for what is essentially a dominican problem. They would'nt be there if dominican businessmen were'nt hiring them as cheap labor. Don't blame haitians for wanting to go where the jobs are. And as Haiti is concerned, the DR is not that far behind in terms of poverty. Take away the WU remittances, the drug money and the tourism dollars, and the DR would be just as economically deprived.

Musicqueen · #5 12-04-2006, 11:13 AM

Gentlemen and ladies: Have any of you been to Cuba? Seen it as it is now???

Let me tell you, I live among Cubans here in Miami...things are not pretty down there...they would have to do a lot of rebuilding and construct new AI's and fix up their beaches and roads before it even starts affecting the DR...

Besides, once they do all that, and people start to actually go on vacation to the island, the sankies will wreck havoc with the ladies...it will be much, much worse than in DR...trust me, the Cubans have the sankie routines down to a tee!!! and can be MUCH slicker than the poor, uneducated Dominicans that now practice that profession...

I know...I live among them here...

MQ

Andy B · #6 12-04-2006, 11:30 AM

Cuban sankies, too!!!!! Aieeeeeee! Rubirosa is gonna' roll over in his grave.

suitelady79 · #7 12-04-2006, 12:11 PM

OH YES!! I was just watching a documentary about Cuba last night. I went into the documentary wondering if Cuban people were really all that unhappy or was that something that our government here in the US was just telling us so that we would continue to support the embargo. After watching it, I'm still not sure. Some people seem to be happy with their way of life there and others not so much. But prostitution is definitely a booming business down there just as it is in the DR and anyother poor country. One woman said she often sits in hotel lobbies waiting for tourists to come by. Where ever there is poverty and lack of jobs, there will be prostitution/sankies/sankiettes.

I don't believe the the DR will be hurt much though. Any one that knows and loves the DR before the embargo is lifted will continue to know and love it afterwards. I think the DR will begin to see even more tourism from the US before the travel restriction ends for Americans to go to Cuba. I have begun to see billboards here advertising vacationing in the DR--this will broaden the fan base. Also based on some of the things that I saw in the documentary, I think it will be a while before americans will even feel safe going to Cuba. I think many cubans see americans as prosective terrorists and invaders which dates back to our invasion during the Bay of Pigs (I think thats when we invaded--forgive me if i'm wrong).

Chirimoya · #8 12-04-2006, 12:18 PM

Some tourists will prefer Cuba because they will consider it more interesting in terms of culture, history or natural beauty. Others might say the same about the DR. Cost might come into it, so the DR needs to keep on its toes.

The DR has a head start on the luxury sector.

If it's simply down to AI-punters choosing between the two when it comes to sun-sea-sand holidays, the cheaper will win out.

That's why it's so important for the DR tourism sector to diversify.

Andy B · #9 12-04-2006, 12:23 PM

"...think many cubans see americans as prosective terrorists and invaders which dates back to our invasion during the Bay of Pigs (I think thats when we invaded--forgive me if i'm wrong)."

The US DIDN'T invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. We just "allowed" it to happen with our support. Actually, it was planned during the Eisenhower administration and then dumped into Kennedy's lap. At the last minute JFK pulled air and sea support for the invasion by Cuban expats and you know the rest. What a fiasco.

George Holmes · #10 12-04-2006, 01:32 PM

As someone who is not American, I have visited Cuba on a work trip - it currently gets around a quarter of the visitors that the DR gets, mainly Canadians and Europeans. It also gets a lot of cultural tourists to see Havana, rather than simply all inclusive types. I am not sure why you think that Cuba will open up to Americans, or that it is not already: I met plenty of Americans there who arrived by going through Canada, Mexico, or even the DR. I know that ol' Fidel is a bit tottery at the moment, but I am not sure that the regime is going to fall soon.