'We should be happy Cuba is opening up' – radio show caller
“We should be happy and glad that Cuba will be opening up and the embargo will soon end. You think all of the tourists will stop coming to the Caribbean and everybody will flock into Cuba?” he asked.
He said people will go to Cuba and see what it is all about and then continue to go to other destinations. “If they want to go back to Cuba they will go back to Cuba, they will not be going to Cuba alone. So we should encourage Cuba,” said the caller.
Host Doug Wheatley said the thawing of relations between Cuba and the United States is a good thing because the embargo of the last 50 years has not done anything good.
The caller pointed out that he has great respect for former Cuban President and revolutionary Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz for enduring the years of hardship that the US embargo wrought. “I have great respect for Mr Castro and in my view I think he is the greatest leader who ever lived in the Caribbean,” he said.
He said countries in the Caribbean, including the Virgin Islands, should be happy for Cuba and not try to pull them down. “These people went through a lot,” the caller said.
Wheatley stated that the Cubans have expressed a desire to take back possession of Guantanamo Bay, where the United States has a military base and holding facility for persons said to be involved in terrorism.
“Apparently they have not been accepting any of the lease money that the US promise to pay them going back many years,” said Wheatley.
Not everyone happy for Cuba
Delegate to Congress in the US Virgin Islands, Stacey E. Plaskett said on Wednesday March 16, 2016 that she has refused an invitation from President Barack H. Obama to take the historic trip to Cuba with him, opting instead to attend a previously scheduled panel discussion
“There are a number of challenges faced by the local citizens of the Virgin Islands that have gone unnoticed for decades, and it is my belief that our previously scheduled activities will help make inroads in mitigating those challenges and help elevate the needs of the territory in the Washington discourse.”
Ms Plaskett has in the past repudiated Mr Obama for his actions to liberate Cuba from stiff restrictions set against the island by the US; insisting that the president should first turn his gaze to the territory of the USVI, which she contends is in desperate need of federal aid.
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8 Responses to “'We should be happy Cuba is opening up' – radio show caller”
The Caribbean is made up of many islands, each offering its uniqueness.
Cruise passengers will continue to go Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, BVI, St. Kitts and yes Cuba will get many more tourists than seen now. People want to see more than one Caribbean island. We welcome Cuba to the cruise tourism and the regular flights. It is time our brothers and sisters enjoy what many Caribbean islands been enjoying. This should help us to improve our tourism game. We are thinking positive -- the Caribbean remains the most popular destination for cruise tourism. Welcome Cuba!!
Cuba with its history, culture , heritage, mystique, natural resources(3000 miles of white sand beaches), architecture, curiosity, vintage cars, along with a treasure trove of other attractions and attractiveness, will definitely have a big impact on the rest of the region. Everyone from airlines to curious visitors to cruise lines are waiting with much anticipation to visit and get into the act.
Nevertheless, with Cuba as well as ourselves being members of the "Caribbean Tourism Association" there are or can, be created, opportunities beneficial to our respective countries.
While contemplating ever so much about Cuba and its impact, it would also be beneficial to consider the recent entrants in the tourism industry; (the Dominican Republic, also a country offering a similar rich culture as Cuba, with an excellent value-for-money offering and Skn, (St. Kitts/Nevis), making remarkable strides since their recent entrance into the industry).