Canada continues to be the main supplier of tourists to Cuba, being responsible for almost half of the visitors, which shows a dangerous dependence on that market.
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It’s an embarrassment to Canadians who understand what’s really going on in the world. I know people who’ve gone to Cuba for a holiday and I always ask “How could you do that?” The response I get most often is “I’m happy to be improving their economy and the life of Cubans who have work because I go to their country.” My reply is always “But at what cost?” They just blink at me like I have two heads. The woman I know who was there a month ago gave the housekeeper a gratuity of $25 US for a whole week (!) of service and the woman cried and held her hand saying “Thank you, Thank you. Thank you.” The poverty they live in must be crushing. But at least they all have a low-cost rice cooker.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/castro-eases-pressure-by-dishing-out-rice-cookers-1.421853
What the woman doesn’t know or understand is that even though the $25 tip was cheapskate, the reason for the housekeeper being ‘overjoyed’ is that in Cuba there are two ways to get basic food consumer goods 1- They use the ration book given to them by the government which only can be used at ration-book ‘stores’ on card holders’ designated dates for designated product et al such stores are usually empty or have very little and the quality is unhealthy or 2- Hard currency stores where hard currency, like US or Canadian dollars, can be used to buy product without the limitations, it is easier to get meat, dairy and basic necessities at hard currency stores than a ration-book store has. Although hard currency stores in Cuba have been experiencing the same problems that ration-book stores do, i.e. empty of product:
La Epoca and Other Cuban Hard-Currency Stores Are Now as Sad and Empty as the Ration-Book Stores