Journal of Tourism & Hospitality
Open Access

Abstract

Paradise Lost: The Evolution of the American Visitors’ Perceptions of Cuba and Cubans between 1898 and The 1930s

Pablo Simon

This research looked at the attitudes and ideologies of American tourists and visitors to Cuba since American occupation in 1898 through the 1930s. Contacts between Americans and Cubans during these almost four decades were frequent and intense. Despite their frequency, however, much less have been written concerning these contacts than about economic dependency, sugar, and race. Few scholars dwelled into how tourists and visitors projected American influence and how they evolved Cubans’ self-image and national consciousness. Through the study of these evolving attitudes on both sides, this research highlights the importance of personal contacts fostered by the tourist industry and how they shaped identities.