Tourism Planning & Development
Special Issue on Cuba and Tourism
Carol Kline, Appalachian State University and Lauren Duffy, Clemson University
Within the last ten years, Cuba has undergone many social, economic, and political changes. Since Raul Castro took the reigns from his brother as President, he has restructured several core economic principles within the island nation to allow for more legalized private enterprises, reduce the number of state-employed workers, and foster additional outside investments in order to tackle economic stagnation. These reforms have created a surge of entrepreneurial activity in tourism among Cuban residents who are entering into the private sector, offering new products or expanding traditional ones. For example, some Cubans are opening paladars (private restaurants) or operating their homes as casa particulares (bed and breakfast enterprises). Additionally, niche markets centered on the unique tourism products of Cuba are flourishing with growing interest in architectural tourism, revolution tourism, and dance tourism. Given the historic, political, and economic conditions that have shaped modern Cuba, the country has a very unique set of resources that set it apart from any other country worldwide.
Paralleling the Cuban domestic economic policies is also the significant transformation taking place between Cuba and the United States. Trade and travel restrictions are currently being eased between the two countries under the current U.S. administration and a dialogue about what the potential opportunities that this could hold is beginning to emerge. However, support for easing restrictions between the two countries is deeply entangled in U.S’s dual-party political system and continued support is uncertain with changes in political leadership. Nonetheless, the warming relationship between Cuba and the U.S. has investors clamoring to ‘get in early,’ have concerned environmentalists about the danger of too much development too soon, and have called into play additional policy changes that might enable Cubans to participate and benefit from the growing tourism industry.
The timing of a special issue on Cuba’s Tourism Industry would be appropriate to capture some of these historic changes. Topics might include:
· Self-employment in the budding private enterprise sector of tourism
· The growth of a ‘grassroots’ tourism economy juxtaposed against the state economy
· The historical influence of tourism development on patterns of future development
· Foreign investment in the Cuban state economy
· Domestic tourism experiences for Cubans / Tourism apartheid
· Niche tourism market trends in Cuba
· Environmental and social concerns of continued lifting of travel and trade restrictions
· Ethical dilemmas in tourism development in Cuba; dealing with redistribution of public property and state-owned organizations in tourism
· Comparison of tourist motivations and products desired
· Perceptions of Cuba’s tourist product mix
· Managing the novelty phenomenon of American tourists to Cuba with easing travel restrictions
Key Dates:
Expressions of Interest: August 31, 2016
Deadline for Manuscript Submission: December 1, 2016
Reviews/Feedback on Manuscript Provided: April 1, 2017
Final Manuscript Due: August 1, 2017
The anticipated publication date is early 2018
Expressions of Interest:
Please submit an abstract (300 - 500 words) to Carol Kline (klinecs@appstate.edu) or Lauren Duffy (lduffy@clemson.edu) outlining the following: a) Title of proposed paper, b) Contributing authors affiliations and contact details, and c) Summary of the proposed manuscript that outlines the purpose, contribution/ significance, and relevance to the special issue. Abstracts will be reviewed on a rolling basis and authors will be notified no later than August 31, 2016.
Submissions:
Manuscripts can be conceptual or empirical in nature. Manuscripts will undergo a double-blind review. Submissions to Tourism Planning and Development are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts, the online submission and peer review system. Registration and access is available at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rthp.
Papers must be formatted in accordance with the Tourism Planning and Development (http://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?journalCode=rthp21&page=instructions).
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Lauren Duffy, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management
College of Health, Education, and Human Development
Clemson University
294 Lehotsky Hall
128 McGinty Court
Clemson, SC 29634-0735
Ph: 001-704-213-2099
http://www.clemson.edu/hehd/departments/prtm/
