Cuba travel be aware even if not from USA

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chillyinCanada

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Assuming the man's story is true, it isn't wise to be out partying with strangers.

This makes no difference in my desire to visit Cuba one day.
 
There are examples of 'bad justice' in the U.S. and I imagine most any country, and we weren't there so it's hard to know what went down. I image the Cubans don't like 'foreigners' abusing their people and taking off.

But this guy's case does sound credible. And the fear of being abused by a foreign government's legal system is real to some people. Before our honeymoon, I would've had similar concerns. The fear of going somewhere where the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights aren't in effect and I don't know their legal system decently was daunting.

This type of event is bad news for their tourism industry.

Richard.
 
This type of event is bad news for their tourism industry.

I honestly don't think it will make a difference. So many bad things happen in countries all over the world, even in countries that had super lax law enforcement, like Greece in the 1980s and 90s. But they are rare. If such incidents happen frequently enough, then it will get more media attention and can have an impact on tourism.
 
I’ve travelled to Cuba twice, for government work. I actually enjoyed both visits, except for one thing. on both trips, I saw male tourists walking around all over the place with teenaged prostitutes. And it was impossible to go near any salsa club with being accosted by a bunch of teen hookers, and I mean accosted, as in they would try to latch on to you and not let go. I asked one of the Cuban government people I was working with why all that was tolerated in a tightly controlled society, and he said “we need the hard currency, and we have no shortage of attractive girls.” Made me want to vomit.

If the Cuban government has decided to crack down on that, then good for them. And as for this Canadian guy who thinks he was set up because the 16-year-old hooker turned out to be a 15-year-old hooker? Well, maybe next time, don’t hire teenage hookers.
 
But this guy's case does sound credible. And the fear of being abused by a foreign government's legal system is real to some people. Before our honeymoon, I would've had similar concerns. The fear of going somewhere where the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights aren't in effect and I don't know their legal system decently was daunting.

This type of event is bad news for their tourism industry.

Richard.

This type of event is only bad for their sex tourism industry — particularly for Epstein-type creeps who like to “party” with young girls. If you go for diving, the beach, the architecture, and the rich culture of the island, Cuba is one of the safest places in the world.
 
+1 to all of that!

I went to Cuba earlier this year and loved it. Before I went, my cable-news-watching mother said "aren't you worried about your safety?" My reply was that I was far safer traveling to 90% of the other countries in the world than staying in the USA. Probably more so in Cuba, I felt very safe and found it very friendly and ordered. The statistics support that outcome too.
 
I’ve travelled to Cuba twice, for government work. I actually enjoyed both visits, except for one thing. on both trips, I saw male tourists walking around all over the place with teenaged prostitutes. And it was impossible to go near any salsa club with being accosted by a bunch of teen hookers, and I mean accosted, as in they would try to latch on to you and not let go. I asked one of the Cuban government people I was working with why all that was tolerated in a tightly controlled society, and he said “we need the hard currency, and we have no shortage of attractive girls.” Made me want to vomit.

If the Cuban government has decided to crack down on that, then good for them. And as for this Canadian guy who thinks he was set up because the 16-year-old hooker turned out to be a 15-year-old hooker? Well, maybe next time, don’t hire teenage hookers.
Without reading the article posted by the OP, I was confused as to why anyone would be scared to go to Cuba. I ran tourist trips there, and have been multiple times myself. I’ve never once run into a teenaged hooker.

I suppose if I were looking for a sex vacation I could have, but I’d be more likely to go to Thailand for such a vacation, which I wouldn’t be. Some creeper saying he was setup by ending up with a 15 year old hooker as opposed to a 16 year old hooker? Well, they are both babies, and they are both hookers. 10 years is probably long enough, but I wouldn’t care if they gave him 20 or 30 or never let him out.
 
I am sorry for his relatives who have to live with worry but he totally brought this on himself. Hard to believe that anyone who travels for a living and is close to 50 rather than 40 years old (46 right?) was partying with children whether they were hookers or not. It is people like him that have young girls (and boys) in the sex trade to start with. You reap what you sow.
 
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