[LINK] "Canadian tourism in Cuba: Will American travellers affect the experience?"

[rfmcdonald]

The CBC's Nicole Ireland looks at something I consider a bit of a distasteful show. Cuba is not ours.

The Yankees are coming. 'I think a lot of Canadians and others are probably wanting to get to Cuba before the American onslaught,' says Arch Ritter, an economics and international affairs professor at Carleton University in Ottawa.

U.S. President Barack Obama's announcement that he will make a historic visit to Cuba in March marks another step in the normalization of relations between the two countries — and once again raises questions about how the Canadian tourism experience in Cuba could change.

On Tuesday, the U.S. and Cuba signed an agreement to restore American commercial flights to the Caribbean country for the first time since the two nations became estranged 50 years ago.

During those five decades, Canada has been one of Cuba's main sources of tourism.

"I think a lot of Canadians and others are probably wanting to get to Cuba before the American onslaught," said Arch Ritter, an economics and international affairs professor at Carleton University in Ottawa. "It was very nice for Canadians to be there and they seemed to be welcomed by the Cubans, and I'm sure that's the case now for the Americans."

That "onslaught" of tourists from the U.S. has already begun, according to Jury Krytiuk, senior travel agent in the Cuban department of A. Nash Travel Inc. in Mississauga, Ont.

"There has been a stampede of Americans wanting to see Cuba before it changes," Krytiuk said. "It's just been chaotic."