During a time when the government is considering a family code that would allow civil unions for same sex couples in Cuba, travel executives expect hotels to help improve visibility for the LGBTQ+ community.
Paula Krizanovic is a woman.
Cuba is now home to two hotels specifically geared toward members of the LGBTQ+ community, which tourism officials believe is a major step forward for a country historically hostile to that segment of its population.
Judith Alfonso, the MGM Muthu Hotels Cuba sales manager, said it was a privilege to open the first hotel for the LGBTQ+ community in Cuba. After being closed during the worst of the Pandemic, the property reopened in December.
The reopening of the hotel shows society is moving in the right direction.
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Subscribe NowAlonso said that the hotel has attracted a lot of repeat customers from Canada and Cuba.
The Gran Muthu Rainbow Hotel is the first LGBTQ+ friendly hotel in the capital, and it opened this month.
The president and CEO of the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association said that increased visibility through hotels and experiences does make a difference.
Everyone wants to see themselves represented, and these actions help send a more welcoming, inclusive message that can influence travelers who are unsure about a destination.
Cuba has the potential to be a friendly destination for the LGBTQ+ community, according to Alfonso.
Will this signal of change be accompanied by a shift in the island's politics?
Cuba's past regarding human rights and the LGBTQ+ community have been well documented. Members of the community were sent to work camps in the 1960s for rehabilitation and the LGBTQ+ rights activists were among the hundreds during the anti-government protests.
Cuba legalized same-sex sexual activity in 1979. The country approved a draft of a family code last December that could allow same-sex marriage and allow same-sex couples to legally adopt children.
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