If you went out and asked a thousand middle-class people (with jobs)...given all the places in the world....Cuba would likely rank down past the 100-point. You might find ten out of thousand who’d have some ambition to go.
Now, if you brought up Panama, Aruba, or Dominican Republic....well, that’s a different story.
I had an opportunity to visit a scuba diving area near Guantanamo Bay Cuba. You could see the sea bed through at least 30 feet of water, crystal clear. We have a souvenir conch shell from one of the divers which is at football sized. One of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life.
The food on the other hand was abominable and I was never quite sure what sound the meat made before being served up.
I spent years as a “tourist” in Panama. Wonderful place and I could show you things that you would not believe.
The allure of Cuba was mainly from leftists romanticizing socialismus...