Cubans Can Now Stay in Their Own Hotels
The Hotel Nacional de Cuba is one of the hotels that will allow its countrymen to stay there now.
Some big news on the Cuban tourism front today: Cubans can now stay in hotels that were typically reserved for foreign tourists.
Cubans will be allowed to stay in the hotels beginning at midnight Monday, said employees at several Havana hotels. Word of the change came from Tourism Ministry officials, the employees said.
Sadly, this initiative is largely symbolic as many Cubans can't afford the hotel room prices which range from $60 to more than $200 a night. The average income in the country is $20 a month.
For years under Fidel Castro's rules, Cubans could not stay in their own country's hotels but with the succession of Raul Castro, he has been lifting many restrictions such as allowing Cubans to own cellphones and computers. Again, these are mostly symbolic since average Cubans cannot afford such items.
Still this might create a mini-hotel boom for country's capital of Havana. The tourism ministry expects at least 10 hotels to be built between 2008 and 2010.
Since we Americans still can't travel to Cuba, we have a dearth of Cuban Hotel Stories. If you got any, send 'em our way. Photos always appreciated too.
[Photo: scaturchio]
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by juliana
