The State of Cuba

Dion Publishing Proudly Presents The State of Cuba – The New York Times

Text by Azam Ahmed and Victoria Burnett. Photographs by Daniel Berehulak.

The State of Cuba – The New York Times

The American singer Usher greeted fans in Havana from atop a taxi this month. The number of American visitors to Cuba this year increased more than any other group of foreigners.

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Battered Chevys still course up and down the broad avenues, and photos of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara still paper the city like campaign posters. But you can also try the sumptuous seafood risotto at a high-end paladar, or watch a concert in one of the new venues that feel like a revamped industrial loft. Cuba’s inconsistencies are especially apparent now that relations with the United States have been restored after more than a half a century of hostility.

Change is fighting with tradition. The public’s desire for openness is being met with the government’s resistance to letting go. Alongside the upscale bars where young Cubans spend small fortunes on imported whiskey are homes that have not received a fresh coat of paint in 50 years. Contradiction is more than just a sign of a changing Cuba — it is a fundamental characteristic of it.






Tourism






Tourism is central to Cuba’s future, as a driver of both income and change. Americans represented the largest increase in visitors this year, eager to get a peek at a country their government has been at odds with for decades. But Cubans are conflicted about the increase, fearful that a flood of outsiders might transform their island from a tiny nation with an outsize voice in global affairs into just another Caribbean destination.









Workers surveyed a building before it was demolished this month in Havana. In Cuba, spending on hotels, restaurants and commercial property repair ranks among the fastest growing sectors of the economy.
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Economic Growth

Some economists doubt Cuba’s economic figures, but they display the same push-and-pull as the rest of the nation. Spending to repair hotels, restaurants and commercial property ranked among the fastest growing sectors of the economy in the past nine years, suggesting a more entrepreneurial Cuba. But some of the stalwarts of the communist system, like public health and social assistance, also grew quickly. Beyond tourism, experts say the future of Cuba’s economy will depend on the private sector breaking free of government control.