How Cuba is trying to revive its tourism

In a historic interview last week with NBC News, Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga announced an unprecedented ideological shift: the official authorization for Cubans residing abroad to invest directly in the island’s private sector.

The great-nephew of Fidel and Raúl Castro and a rising figure close to the Gaesa military conglomerate, Pérez-Oliva described this plan as a « new era of openness » that extends far beyond commerce to encompass massive investments in critical infrastructure, including energy, mining, and tourism.

This outstretched hand is explicitly aimed at American companies and the Cuban-American community, potentially paving the way for the arrival of hotel giants such as Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, or Wyndham, which would compete with the already well-established Spanish and Canadian chains like Meliá or Iberostar.

This negotiating dynamic appears to be driven by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero, while President Miguel Díaz-Canel seems increasingly isolated in the face of the demands of the Trump administration, which is openly calling for his resignation as a precondition for a comprehensive agreement.

These revelations echo recent remarks made by the American president at the White House; Speaking to businessman Jorge Mas, owner of Inter Miami, Donald Trump predicted imminent policy changes, stating that only “a few weeks” remained before travel and investment to Cuba would be free of all federal restrictions.

If this transition materializes, it would mark the end of six decades of protectionism, transforming the island into a new playground for Florida capitalism and the descendants of the revolution.