Infrastructure will also get better with time. A key example: Wi-Fi availability.
Ghitis, the hopeful hotelier, described deep frustration at the quality of Wi-Fi on each of his recent visits: “It can take several hours, literally, to be able to see your e-mail,” he said. “If you remember when AOL started with dial-up, that’s what it’s like. And you get disconnected every one or two minutes.”
That’s if you’re lucky, he claimed—most hotels don’t have Wi-Fi at all. This problem is being phased out: Last month, the country began installing its first public Wi-Fi hotspots across the island.
None of this means that Cuba’s stuck-in-time character is in danger of disappearing overnight.
“Cuba’s not going to change tomorrow—or in two years,” said Cuba Travel Network's Arevalo, a lifelong local. But he’s optimistic about what his country has to offer. “People are already going to Cuba, loving it, and wanting to go back again and again. We’re busy every day, and we’re thankful for that.”