After the collapse of the Soviet bloc in 1989, Fidel Castro announced the beginning of aSpecial Period for Cuba. During this time, the Cuban government has been obliged to look outward to other economies of the developed world, specifically targeting tourism as a mechanism for economic growth and development. This book examines the role played by international tourism in Cuba's institutional and economic restructuring and the country's reinsertion into the capitalist world economy. It provides the most comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the economic, social, environmental and political realities which have emerged in Cuba as a result of the redevelopment of urban tourism since the early 1990s. By analyzing the allocation of tourist resources and its impacts, the generation of tourism policy, and the politics of tourism development, it focuses on the political economy of urban tourism in Cuba and the balance of power between domestic and foreign stakeholders involved in the Cuban tourist industry.

Andrea Colantonio

Contents: Preface. Urban Tourism, Planning and Development: Introduction, aims and objectives; Methodology, logistics and reflexivity; Tourism and development: the Cuban context; Urban tourism in Havana: an overview of the Special Period; The impacts and planning of urban tourism. Tourism and Development in Havana: Tourism and urban development in Havana: from the 'pseudo-republic' to the Special Period; Tourism and socio-economic change in Havana during the Special Period; Tourism and environment in Havana during the Special Period; Residents' perceptions concerning the impacts of tourism in Havana during the Special Period. Tourism and Governance in Havana: Concluding Perspectives: Tourism planning and city governance in Havana during the Special Period; Conclusions. Appendices: Questionnaire survey concerning local residents' perceptions of tourism activities in Havana's tourist poles; Main institutional and economic reforms in Cuba during the 1990s; Trip index for Havana; Bibliography; Index.