Airbnb Lands in Havana

Bibliographic Data

ID4437540
AuthorsTommaso Pirone (corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume120
Issue4
Pages853-869
Publication date2021-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSouth Atlantic Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0038-2876 • E-ISSN: 1527-8026
PublisherDuke University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1215/00382876-9443406
OpenAlexW4200194964
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited22

Sixty years after Fidel Castro's revolution overthrew the US's influence in Cuba, Airbnb has penetrated Havana's accommodation market, despite strong limitations imposed by the US government. This article analyzes the methods employed by Airbnb to enter the unique Cuban tourist sector, highlighting the adoption of local norms and traditions. For decades, thousands of casas particulares have hosted exchanges between visitors and the local population. Based on ethnographic data collected in Havana, we contend that the "Airbnb model" was present before the gig economy giant arrived in the Cuban capital. On one hand, the arrival of Airbnb may contribute to (re)emerging inequalities in Cuban society, while on the other hand, it has the potential to generate economic opportunities in the island's bourgeoning private sector. Ultimately, we suggest that the Cuban model of casas particulares should be conceptual-ized as a trailblazer of the international tourist landscape

Accommodation · Archaeology · Economics · Economy · Geography · Government (linguistics) · Political science · Population · Private sector · Sociology · Tourism · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism · Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies · Sharing Economy and Platforms

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