Amid the economic crisis and decline in tourism, the construction of La Habana Hotel Choice in Cuba has caused great criticism. The luxury hotel, managed by Spanish chain Iberostar, is a nearly 500-foot tower above Havana and has 542 rooms. Locals such as Sucel Borges, a 26-year-old artisan, question the government’s decision to invest heavily in high-end tourism infrastructure. “All that money could have been spent building hospitals and schools,” Borges said.
The project, part of the state’s plan to build multiple luxury hotels, was pursued during the pandemic despite the shortage of many existing hotels. Tourism, once a major economic driver that brought in $3 billion a year, has declined dramatically, with 2.2 million tourists visiting in 2024, down from 4.2 million in 2019. Ban cruise ships and contribute to the recession.
“Tourism is gone,” said Julio García Campos, a driver of a vintage car popular with tourists. Details of the hotel’s financing, which was state-owned and controlled by state-owned conglomerate Gesa, remain private, raising transparency concerns. Economist Pedro Monreal points out the disproportionate investment priorities, saying, “It is troubling that agricultural investment is 11 times lower due to food insecurity concerns than tourism.” Even the building’s design has been called by the likes of architect Abel Tablada “a perfect example of what not to do from a biosystems design perspective.” (This story was generated by Newsperson’s AI chatbot. Source: AP)
