Travel, Remittances and Self-Employment: Economic Relationships between Cuban Emigrants and their Country of Origin

Abstract

The reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States in July 2015 generated great expectations about new economic opportunities and challenges for residents of both countries, including Cuban-born citizens in the United States, particularly in South Florida. Long before that, Cuban émigrés sent billions of dollars, as well as huge quantities of goods, to relatives and friends on the island. Hundreds of thousands visit Cuba each year and, once there, consume dollarized goods and services, especially in the non-state sector of the Cuban economy. Today, Cubans living abroad represent one of the key players in the Cuban economy and contribute substantially to the material well-being and daily survival of thousands of households on the island.

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