Mountaineering in Cuba: improvement of true accessibility as an opportunity for regional development of communities outside the tourism enclaves

ABSTRACT

Mass tourism began in the Caribbean during the middle of the twentieth century. Unfortunately, increasing competition and a change in the motivation of tourists now force the authorities who manage these regions to introduce a new tourism offer that is not based directly on either the 3S (Sun, Sand, and Sea) or 3E (Entertainment, Excitement, Education) model. Hiking, trekking, and climbing, defined as mountaineering, might be one of these. This paper examines the potential for mountaineering in Cuba by verifying its accessibility for tourists. The assessment is based on a framework of true accessibility, which consists of two factors: (1) destination accessibility and (2) real access. Our results show that mountaineering in Cuba should be considered to be one of the key contributors to the development, prosperity, and well-being of all stakeholders, and especially for the communities outside the tourism enclaves.

KEYWORDS:

• Hiking
• trekking
• climbing
• accessibility
• Cuba
• Caribbean

Acknowledgement

Funds for this work were provided by the Pedagogical University of Cracow (Poland). The authors would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their valuable contributions to improve the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Michal Apollo http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7777-5176

Renata Rettinger http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4393-4340

Notes

1 At the time of writing, the actual statute is November 8, 2017 FACT SHEET: Treasury, Commerce, and State Implement Changes to Cuban Sanctions Rules (see US Embassy in Cuba at www.cu.usembassy.gov).