Quote: (06-24-2015 11:33 PM)tomtud Wrote:
I remember the Michael Moore doc called sicko,,, medical tourism may flourish.....
You probably haven't been to a Cuban hospital outside of a resort. Unfortunately I've been several times. Even if they paid me the amount the operation would cost in the US or Canada (RE: Paid me to try their service) I wouldn't engage in medical tourism there.
90+% of tourists are hidden away on beaches. Of those that go into cities and are out and about 98% are only getting P4P. The Americans aren't competition for the best local girls cause by and large they lack 2 things. Linguistic abilities and time. Meanwhile Flavio the Italian is there 8 weeks a year and speaks perfect spanish.
The non-pro scene is dreadful unless you have time and / or help to locate it. Two things that 99% of Americans will not accomplish.
There is also a lack of work for foreigners, services, access to housing, access to vehicles / internet which limits the amount of Expats.
You can't just arrive, phone Bell or AT & T and have install internet / phone line next week. In fact 99% of long term visitors / expats can't get either.
You can't just go browse autotrader and find a dealership or private sale to buy a vehicle. You can browse Cuban sites and find out there are 1980 Ladas for sale for $10,000-$20,000. You can buy it but probably not in your name. I'm 99% positive you can't get it insured even if you were able to buy / drive it. A new model Peugeot the cheapeast available new car costs about $92,000 CUC. After conversion you are looking at about $100,000 American or $110,000 Canadian. This car is less than $20,000 new elsewhere.
There is no Wal-Mart or grocery stores where you can go and buy everything you need in terms of food / drinks.
You have no right to own a home outside of a few condo developments which are far more expensive per square foot than places on the local market. They also may be 99 year leases as opposed to freehold although I'm not sure about that.
In rent you pay per room as opposed to per apartment / house. This can make a 3 or 4 bedroom extremely expensive for the quality you receive.
The reason places like Medellin may be more competitive now are because there are many expats who can actually live and work there. In Cuba the expat population is essentially non-existent outside of 80 year old men on small pensions and a few people working in Embassies.
The ability to own a small business is non-existent for a Non-Permanent resident foreigner. Unfortunately to get Permanent residency you generally speaking have to be married to a Cuban and / or have a Cuban child. Even then there are many many loopholes you have to jump through.
Even if you can buy a house and you put it in someone else's name because you are completely off your rockers...you can't just go to Home Depot and buy supplies / equipment / lumber. You may have to wait around for days or weeks for some to be sold in your locale and you won't find it in stores but in the hands of individuals.
All in all, business opportunities are non-existent for all but a few big businesses. Online poker players, freelance writers / copywriters are unable to make a living while in Cuba.
The general consensus among people who aren't spectating wildly is that Cuba is many years away from any substantial change that may alter it's landscape. Most of the changes have simply been surface changes that sound great but really not much is done. Having Wi-Fi available is great but when 1 hour of use constitutes 2 days of work for the average Cuban it isn't very useful. Many changes have occurred but generally speaking the same amount of money is being spread around the economy. Instead of cutting hair under the table more people are getting licenses to do so. That really is the difference in the new reforms. Many paladares were not licensed and operated without a license, now they have a license and surprise surprise they pay more taxes.
American people who haven't been there may be of the impression that all the girls will be all over Americans because they are so poor however, due to the police situation you have basically 2 camps. The girls who are with stupid amounts of foreigners re: Hookers, serial foreigner daters (who are essentially hookers just you pay after rather) and the girls who aren't. The guys who are getting the non-pros are almost exclusively Italian and Spanish men who take longer vacations and speak the language. Keep in mind there are already as many tourists as the DR effectively and there is less money / a police force that actively prevents relations present in Cuba.