The Old Havana: Economic and Social Impact of Tourism Management on the Quality of Life of Residents

Abstract

[Abstrac] The Old Havana, a World Heritage Site since 1982, is one of the main tourist attractions in Cuba, but it is also a space with a marked residential nature. In recent years, the process of recovering this site and restoring it for tourist use has represented a major challenge, both economically and socially. The current situation in the country, resulting from new Cuban government policies, has led to great interest in developing public and private initiatives that enhance tourism in this area. This chapter presents Old Havana as a case study and addresses the economic and social impact that the tourism management carried out by the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana (OHCH) has had on its residents. The chapter opens by introducing historic centres and impacts of tourism, especially in Latin America. It then goes on to introduce the special features of tourism in Cuba. Next, it addresses the social impact on the Cuban population of the tourism policy implemented in the early 1990s, which focused on promoting international tourism at the expense of domestic tourism. It also describes the scenario that resulted from creating designated tourist areas, isolated from the Cuban population, which prevented visitor exchange with residents and cultural enrichment. Next, it discusses the tourism management model developed by the OHCH, which constitutes an outstanding example of sustainable tourism management practice. The chapter closes by presenting a series of final considerations regarding the future of tourism in Cuba, based on the current context.