Migration, international relations and tourism: Cubans in Canada

In this article, the interrelation of migration, international relations and tourism, in the particular case of Canada, as the main tourism-issuing market towards Cuba, is exposed on a theoretical-methodological level. The research is carried out from Marxist positions, according to the current historical moment, recognizing the vacuum of epistemological analysis in this essential area of migration, international relations and tourism. The behavior of visits from Cubans residing in Canada is valued, which is maintained with a permanent growth trend. When comparing the behavior of Cubans residing in Canada who visit Cuba, it is found that it differs totally from the behavior of the arrivals of Canadian visitors to Cuba, which maintained a permanent growth in the period between 1994 to 2015, as well as its tendency to decrease from 2016 to the first half of 2018, in contrast also, with the growth of other outbound markets to Cuba, as well as Canadian tourism to other Caribbean destinations, such as Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The probable reasons for this trend are exposed and the urgency of continuing to stimulate this historical market and that Cuba has the potential to recover it is emphasized.