Meeting and living with Cubans can be a transformative experience

Travel offers more than visiting iconic monuments or tasting traditional dishes. The opportunity to live alongside local people opens a path to understanding the essence of each community. Through this interaction, travelers gain cultural and human insights that no conventional tour can provide.

Tourism experts highlight the value of this form of discovery. According to Smith and Duffy (2003), in The Ethics of Tourism, “immersion in the daily lives of residents fosters a deep understanding of customs, traditions, and ways of life, establishing intercultural bridges based on mutual respect and empathy.” Thus, the encounter becomes an enriching exchange, where the visitor not only observes but also participates and understands how the nation’s life unfolds.

Along the same lines, Richards and Wilson (2007), in their study on sustainable tourism, emphasize that “prolonged interaction with local communities facilitates the creation of social bonds that enhance the tourist experience, promoting a more conscious and responsible relationship with the destination.” This connection helps break down stereotypes and appreciate cultural diversity from a human and personal perspective.

Programs such as house swaps, community volunteering, or homestays offer structures designed to foster these experiences, while local hospitality provides personal stories, living traditions, and practical advice—elements that enrich the experience.

Furthermore, this type of tourism provides a direct economic benefit to communities, encouraging more equitable and sustainable development.

Living like locals: Understanding the country

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, highlights living alongside locals as a key form of experiential tourism that promotes sustainable development and authentic cultural exchange. In its publication Tourism and Community Development (2016), UNWTO notes that “experiences that allow travelers to engage directly with local communities increase the appreciation of cultural and natural heritage, while generating tangible socio-economic benefits for host populations” (UNWTO, 2016).

The international organization emphasizes that this type of tourism fosters a positive social impact by strengthening cultural identity and giving prominence to local voices. Thus, visitors gain a deeper understanding of the destination and contribute to the preservation of its traditions.

Among the countries where living alongside locals has become a common practice are Costa Rica, known for its community-based initiatives involving indigenous peoples and rural areas; Nepal, where tourists participate in homestay programs that facilitate interaction with Sherpa families and other mountain communities; and Morocco, where stays in local homes offer immersive cultural experiences in kasbahs and medinas.

The Cuban experience

Promoting direct exchanges between tourists and facilitating access to experiences outside conventional tourist circuits, has been a focus in Cuba since the early years of the Cuban revolution, due to the need to counter misinformation and negative media campaigns with firsthand experiences.

Those who choose this type of accommodation stay in private homes or participate in daily activities with Cuban families, generating close and meaningful contact. The program emphasizes the importance of preserving the cultural and natural heritage of each locality, with respect for customs and the active participation of the visitor.

Through Amistur, a specialized tourism agency belonging to the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), actions and contacts with friends of Cuba are fostered, with a prominent role played by the volunteer work brigades based at the Julio Antonio Mella International Camp (CIJAM).

With over 30 years of experience, Amistur promotes, organizes, and markets tourism products and services that guarantee the enjoyment and understanding of Cuban life through direct contact with the people. This leading agency, which builds bridges between people, focuses on services for all operators in the Cuban tourism sector who are interested in learning about the political and social project of this Caribbean nation.

Through this channel, travelers are welcomed in groups and solidarity brigades who arrive in Cuba through ICAP, from the associations for friendship and solidarity with Cuba around the world and from foreign travel agencies, with the objective of showing the Cuban reality through exchanges with its society, providing an excellent, tailored and personalized service.