Origin and emergence of tourism in Cuba in the 19th century

Abstract

There is historical evidence of North American visits to Cuba since 1836, intending to spend the mild winter there, demonstrating the initial embryonic form of tourism in Colonial Cuba. Beginning in 1867, the Ward Line steamship began regularly transporting thousands of North Americans to Cuba for health, leisure, and business purposes, clearly marking this period as the early emergence of tourism in Cuba. Consequently, conditions for serving foreign visitors expanded and improved, including the creation of hotels in Havana beginning in 1860, thus consolidating the development of tourism. The objective of this work is to identify the origin and emergence of tourism in Cuba in the 19th century, highlighting the main characteristics of its evolution. The methodology followed corresponds to a descriptive historical investigation of tourism in Cuba. The result is that tourism has been observed in Cuba since the sixth decade of the 19th century. It is concluded that tourism emerged in Cuba at a similar time to other countries in the Americas and in the same century as it emerged in Europe. General Area of ​​Study: History, Specific Area of ​​Study: History of Tourism, Type of Study: Original Article