Castro resigns as president of Cuba

[TuralyonW3]

cnn.com


meet the new boss, same as the old boss i'm guessing

[Boycott Graceland]

well how bout that

let's hear what netphoria's opinions on this topic are

[commando]

That guy probably won't die for another 20 years... but as soon as he does, anticipate big changes for that island.. I know dudes that are chomping at the bit to get in on that real estate boom that will occur shortly...

[Nimrod's Son]

he's been out of power for all intents and purposes for a few years now, so this changes nothing

[Ever]

I liked senator kerry's thoughts about the transition.

[Tchocky]

Two years ago, one of my history professors said that people should expect Cuba to become a big vacation hotspot about a decade after Castro steps down...Hmmm....I'll check back in 2018.

[spring]

there was a very interesting discussion on CBC radio this morning about this - they called this political analyst in Cuba to talk about Raul Castro and I was just checking the CNN and CBC websites now to see if any articles talked about him at all. i think the most interesting point the analyst made this morning was that Raul is 76 and also in bad health, which doesn't seem to be mentioned anywhere. she expressed concerns at the fact that he is known to be a lot less flexible and quite "the iron fist" - again, quite the contrary is mentioned in an article on cbc.ca i think. she also said that the resignation will probably have the biggest impact on the older population, which makes a lot of sense.

[JokeyLoki]

I never figured he'd leave voluntarily, but yeah, changes nothing.

[sppunk]

Originally Posted by Tchocky

Two years ago, one of my history professors said that people should expect Cuba to become a big vacation hotspot about a decade after Castro steps down...Hmmm....I'll check back in 2018.

Cuba already is a massive vacation spot, with tons and tons of five-star resorts dotted along the southern/eastern coasts.

[commando]

Not for gringos... the ones that aren't willing to reroute their flights through Mexico or Canada.

[sppunk]

U.S. tourists aren't too important - they historically don't spend the time/money as Europeans and Australians on holiday.

[Tchocky]

Originally Posted by sppunk

U.S. tourists aren't too important - they historically don't spend the time/money as Europeans and Australians on holiday.

Regardless, if a more moderate ruler takes over, I could envision Cuba becoming a popular spring break destination among our college youths.

[commando]

Originally Posted by sppunk

U.S. tourists aren't too important - they historically don't spend the time/money as Europeans and Australians on holiday.

eh? Cuba was the old Las Vegas before the sanctions. Just a playground for rich u.s. weekenders.

[Nimrod's Son]

Originally Posted by sppunk

U.S. tourists aren't too important - they historically don't spend the time/money as Europeans and Australians on holiday.

The sheer volume of US visitors would be enough to make up for that difference

[Phoenix Down]

Originally Posted by Nimrod's Son

The sheer volume of US visitors would be enough to make up for that difference

but the sheer volume of european visitors is bigger than the sheer volume of american visitors, isn't it? actually the european union (27 out of 48 countries) alone would be bigger.

[Ol' Couch Ass]

Interesting. I would love to visit the small town where my mom grew up.

[commando]

Originally Posted by Phoenix Down

but the sheer volume of european visitors is bigger than the sheer volume of american visitors, isn't it? actually the european union (27 out of 48 countries) alone would be bigger.

No. Why would europeans fly halfway around the world to go to Cuba? For a large contingent of Americans, it's a short puddle-jumper flight that would quickly replace the huge volume of mexican vacations Americans take.

[mxzombie]

talked to my cuban boss at work about this and she said the same thing, nothing changes

[Nimrod's Son]

Originally Posted by commando

No. Why would europeans fly halfway around the world to go to Cuba? For a large contingent of Americans, it's a short puddle-jumper flight that would quickly replace the huge volume of mexican vacations Americans take.

This is correct. Are there more European tourists in the world? Sure, ok. Would there be more in Cuba? Highly doubtful.