Please post your questions for Anna and Andy about their e-learning experience in Cuba in this thread. Focus on hospitality and tourism related questions, especially as it pertains to e-communication.
This thread will close at noon EDT, September 27, 2007.
32 comments:
Hi Andy and Anna.
Glad to hear that you made the best of your trip to Cuba and ended up having a good time.
I definitely learned something from your assignment. I had no idea you could not access all websites from anywhere in the world. I figured if your computer was connected to the internet you were able to do the same things anywhere. I think many ads in the media promote this misleading idea. An ad that best suggests this is the party poker ad where people are playing against eachother from all over the world. Party Poker
My questions for you are first of all, do you think if your hotel had better equipment with faster and more reliable service, it would help market their property? Do you think this improved internet access is in demand enough in such a beach type destination as Cuba?
Hello Michelle,
Thank you for a quick response. I definitely agree with you that there are many misleading advertisements. Take for instance, Club Amigo post on their website indicating that there’s Internet service, but did not specify whether it is high-speed or dial-up connection.
If Club Amigo was equipped with faster and more reliable service, it would definitely help market their property since high-speed Internet is scarce and rare in Cuba. As travelers become accustomed to high-speed Internet, they ‘believe’ it is a necessity. Travelers also expect to have the same level of service. If high-speed Internet was provided it would definitely alleviate bad reviews/comments from travelers, but again, I personally don’t think it is in such demand that high-speed Internet is needed for a third world country resort especially for when travelers are on ‘vacation.’
-Anna Cao
Hello Double A! (Anna and Andy)
Sounds like your trip to Cuba was fun! It is such a shame that the hotel posted internet access and you could not use it as efficently as you were at your very own home.
I have never been to Cuba before, so can you explain more about it. What places you liked when you visited? If you had the opportunity to visit Cuba again, what would you do or not do again?
Hope to hear from you soon.
Michelle,
Something of which you may be unaware is that Internet access is restricted for political and legals purposes. Governments can censor what citizens can see, and can do on the Internet.
To learn how even first world countries censor, you only need visit CBS and try to watch an episode of one of their programs.
Hello Kristen,
Thank you for you interest. The city we’ve visited was Holguin. As you may know by now, it is a poor country and it was no surprise to us to see poverty. There were so many little palm tree houses surrounded by beautiful green palm trees, huge cactus and mountains. I’ve never seen that many GREENs before! People there are very nice there; they work extremely hard for living. For the housekeepers, they get about 15-20 Pesos a month. This is considered to be a ‘good’ job with ‘decant’ pay. Everyone would have to go to school for any job. Education is free!!!
There are no homeless people on the street as they do NOT pay for rent and have vouchers to 3 weeks worth of meals for every month. It’s a simple life and they seem to enjoy it.
I would love to visit Cuba again. The thing that I wouldn’t do would go during school time and hurricane seasons (mistakes learned). If I had the opportunity to go back, I would love to go horse back-riding up to the mountains and jet-skiing in the sea again. The thrill and scenery is unbelievably beautiful and breathe taking.
Hey guys,
It has been a long time. I hope you both had a great summer and it is good to hear that after all your troubles you still had a good time in Cuba.
So, I was wondering.. you had said something about everything being written in Spanish. What exactly was written in Spanish? When you signed on to your hotmail account was that also in Spanish? Or, because it is an American website was that still written in English? Was the URL the same, or was it a Spanish URL?
I ask this because I actually just realized that when I do banking online it offers two different websites.
PC Financial offers the information in English. While PC Financial Quebec offers the information in French. However, both are the same websites, they have different URL’s.
Anyways, glad to hear you made it out of Hurricane season with all your limbs attached. See you soon!
Good to hear that you enjoyed your trip.
I was just reading through your report and what others have posted and would like to know you opinion on a few things. Based on what Ms. Campbell said, that sites are restricted for political reason, do you think better equipment and high-speed internet would really have made a difference? Is it worth it for resorts to invest in these areas when there are restrictions in place? Should it be the responsibility of the resort to post notices informing of the restrictions in multiple languages?
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Hi Anna and Andy,
This is more of a hardware question: Having never used a computer in a Spanish-speaking country, I've always been curious- Do they have a different keyboard, given that the Spanish alphabet is slightly different? If so, did you have any trouble using it? And if not, how do you type "ñ"?
Hi Andy and Anna,
I was just questioning, what did the hotel manager do when the electricity went out? Did they have many safety precautions? Also on the technology side of things, since the United States are one of the biggest distributors and providers of technology (i.e. computers, internet) do you believe that the relationship between Cuba and the United States diminished Cuba’s capabilities on retrieving accessible technology?
Hey Michelle,
Thanks for responding to our experience.
My response to your question is that Yes, the resort would be a more desirable place due to the fact that alot of business people do go on vacations and do need to somehow keep somepart of work with them on there time off. A resort that has a full computer lab as well as internet access can help people enjoy their vacation and at the same time keep in touch with their responsibilities at work.
As for the demand for an improved internet access, its not much in demand due to the fact that it is a third world country and people don't expect too much technology in that kind of setting
Well hello Anna & Andy...
It sounds really refreshing to hear how eager and determined you are to think about school assignments while on vacation. You put yourself through such stress instead of relaxing. Such good and proper students you are.
Here is what I think about your experience.
First of all, you decided to go to Holguin,a tourist destination filled with resorts and tourists who basically do not care about conducting business over the internet. Especially Blogger. They are there to relax and not think about work and their lives at home. People who are in Cuba on business go to Havana where internet access is more advanced and accessible.
Secondly, if you had researched Cuba and its political regime, Communism, your expectations about internet "freedom" and its possibilities would have been lower. You would also expect censorship, thus no surprises there. (You expect it in China, only because it is more talked about.)
As for your encounters with Spanish, well do not take English for granted. You have studied Spanish in this program and learned about different cultures and traditions. Use your knowledge and do not depend on what you take for granted all the time.
Cuba is a beautiful country with exciting people and places to see and it would be a shame to judge it based on the internet connection. I really hope you get to visit Cuba again. Maybe not during hurricane season next time...
And remember, you are on vacation, chill out.
See you soon,
Sue
Hey Kristen,
Well most of the stuff I wanted to say was said by Anna, but as for me, I would definetly visit Cuba again, it was a good change of setting compared to Toronto's traffic, stress, and unpredictable weather. Thank you for your question
Hey Heather,
Thanks for your great questions, I work in Front Desk and many many guest asks about internet and the accessibility to it. My hotel Novotel offers free wireless internet which benefits many of our guests and that is why it is important to many people travelling that their is access to internet one way or the other. I believe it is worth the investment for resorts to implement greater internet access because of the market available to business vacationers.
With the responsibility of the resort to post notices informing the restrictions they might face is the right thing to do so that less complaints to the front desk staff.
Hi Kaleigh,
Majority of the websites were in Spanish. Side bars/tools and pop-up windows were in Spanish as well. We had to guess what to click. When we successful signed in to our Hotmail accounts, it was English (no idea how that works)
Hi Heather,
I personally do think that better equipment and high speed internet would make a difference. It would definitely be the highlight. I also think that it would not be worth it to invest in it due to the fact that majority of people there are on vacation. High-speed internet and upgrade equipment is not a necessity.
It is not the responsibility of the resort to inform guests, but it would be nice of them to do so or to have IT staff stand by. This way, guests would not feel ‘lost.’
Hi Stephan,
We did not have problems with using the keyboard. It was exactly the same. (Thank God). As for the special "ñ" I’ve personally have not come across that character when I was there. Sorry would be able to answer that.
Hello Andy and Anna, I thought I would share my opinion to the topic. Firstly, I am glad that you both enjoyed your stay in Cuba. Secondly, regarding Cuba, it is slowly improving in terms of telecommunication. As we know computer networking could greatly increase the country’s economy. However, if we look at it from a tourist’s perspective, travelers do require some sort of communication, whether it is the telephone, the Internet, and so on and as you have explained, these choices are slowly being supplied. On the other hand, when people go on vacation, as you both and Sue stated, one would assume that travelers would go to have a relaxing, fun time, to explore the country, and to interact with the locals. I remember at work a few of my colleagues were talking about camping and how the experience is unlike it used to be. Nowadays, these camp sites have electricity, cable, toilets that flush, trailers, and more; in the end it just does not give you that camping experience where you have to provide everything for yourself, since everything is already provided for you. My point is if people were to have all these technological amenities, people would be doing businesses, typing on computers, and they just would not enjoy the vacation the way they should be, which is getting to know the beauty of the country and the people, its culture. There was this one quote I once saw, which I cannot find, but it was explaining how visitors should not expect a country to adapt to their needs and expectations, that it should adapt to the needs of the country they are visiting.
Since there was only one computer for people to use at the hotel, couldn’t the person at the “business centre” help you translate the information? Also, I noticed some sites at times, they have automatic translations, well they will translate for instance an entire article for you, besides, wasn’t Cuba a great way for the two of you to practice the basic Spanish we were taught last year in Spanish class? Furthermore, if there was better telecommunication infrastructure, do you not think that the experience in Cuba would have been different, especially for business people?
Welcome back to Toronto!
Hi Anthony,
The hotel manager did not do anything when the electricity went out. All staff treated as if it is a normal activity. I am assuming they are used to such activities.
I don’t think United States is one Cuba’s providers/distributor. Majority of their mechanical items are from Japan or Korea. Brands such as LG, Kia, Hyundia and Suzuki, Toyota are commonly found.
Hi Sue,
I agree with you on the fact that when we are on vacation, we must relax and enjoy time there. It is hard to do so when school started (lesson learned).
It was our fault for not doing enough research on Cuba, we only knew the basics and was ready to go. We were wrong since we were UNEXPERIENCED travelers. We had learned them the hard way.
You’re right, Cuba is a beautiful. Life is simple. Fresh Food (no chemicals injected) Life is appreciated and things are not being taken for granted. Everyone actually RECYCLES and REUSE.
The experience was EXCELLENT regardless of the dial-up connection. I learned a lot from this trip. I will definitely visit Cuba again.
Everyone else should as well. We’ll appreciate life MORE
Hey Stefan,
Good question, the keyboard was american because most of the technology they had there was American because they do not produce their own equipment when it comes to computers. So, no they did not have a spanish keyboard, thanks for asking
Hi Silvia,
I do believe that if telecommunication was better/updated I wouldn’t be able to actual ‘appreciate and cherish’ what we have. Honestly, I would still take everything for granted if I never went on this trip. I don’t wish for anything being different, I’m glad that I went through this experience and learned a lot from it!
Hello Anna and Andy,
I would like to know about the service in the hospitality industry. Did you notice a big difference between Canada and Cuba or it was not that bad?
Also did you have any chance to talk to the guests/tourists from other countries?Did the guests complain about all these issues or they were satisfied with the service?
Do they plan to visit Cuba Again?
Thank you
Tanya Rykova
Dear E-marketers,
Excellent discussion going on. Well done. Anna and Andy have done a good job of moderating.
The largest market for travel in North America by demographic will be the "boomers." They will have the greatest disposable income and the greatest amount of leisure time. That will be for the next 20 years or so.
They will take "working" vacations. Being connected by wireless communication in some form will be very important.
Even in the polar regions, where connection is limited to intermittment satellite communication, our guests are demanding more and better links to civilization.
Prisca
Hi Tanya,
Everyone that works at Club Amigo is very friendly. There wasn’t much of a big difference in terms of hospitable. Everyone there had to go to school to work in a resort/hotel. As communication is a barrier some visitors might think there is a hug difference. Majority of the guest there did not depend on Internet service as much as we did. From my observation, guests who used the Internet service to send personal e-mails to their friends and families, not business /school purposes. The only complaint I’ve heard was the air conditioner not working since there was no electricity. In general, I think they enjoyed themselves both outside and inside the resort.
Hi Anna & Andy!
Hope you had a great trip. Sorry to hear about the difficult time in connecting with us. I did not know that connection was different in different parts of the world. I would think that connection would be the same. I was wondering if you know about phone connections there. I would think that it would be much better than internet connection.
Hope to see you guys when you get back
Hi Larissa,
I would same that phone and Internet connection are about the same. I had some difficulties with making phone calls as well. It takes about 2-3 tries to finally connect to Canada. It is not clear at times. But again, it is not an advanced (technology) country, so it was expected.
Hello All,
Thank you for your contribution and interest.
Thanks,
=)
Thank you, Anna and Andy,
Now you may add "moderated a blog" to your resume.
I thank your colleagues, who made your experience possible, even though they weren't getting any marks. Great team work. You may add, experienced in team work, on your resumes.
This thread is now closed.
We will not be using this blog for classes anymore.
We are officially operating in Blackboard.
Check-out the October issue of National Geographic Traveler. I'll be posting an article and a "lesson" about its content.
Prisca
Hello, hello...
I hope your overall summer was better than your vacation. It's strange to me that you chose to fly all the way to a communist country to do homework, horse back ride, jet-ski, and go to a Cuban cigar factory (all of which can be done in the GTA - research it, I'm not kidding) But none the less I'm sure you've learned a few things from the experience. You mentioned in your paper that everyone recycles, so my question to you is; what other environmental differences/similarities did you learn of and are they communism related?
I hope It’s not to late to tell you that I’m glad that you two went to Cuba and Came Back safely. It’s not surprising that there would be a large censorship/weak connection in Media based communication (Website,cell phone connections, what the country airs on television) in a 3rd world country. Especially in a 3rd world Communists Govn’t, the govn’t wants to control what the people are subjected to as a way of controlling the people. As for the cell phone connections, only the wealthy would have cell phones which would probably be less than 25% of the Cuban population, there fore the signals for cellphones would be very low. My reasoning behind this is after reading some of the other bloggers (Liam, Larrisa) comments. The Question I’d like to ask is what type of trip you went on, a tourist or explorer vacation? Did you get to venture out to see the people of Cuba? did you notice any similarities with Cuban and Canadian media types (Ads, censorships) Glad to read your safe and enjoyable holiday.
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