This was published 7 years ago
The destinations with a lot to lose from a Trump presidency
Playa Ancon, Cuba.Credit: iStock
It's not the people of America that I'm worried about. They chose, collectively, to elect Donald J. Trump as their next president. That's democracy.
Maybe it will work out well. Maybe it won't. Regardless, the US will be OK. They'll push through four years of whatever is going to come and then they might vote for someone new.
So I'm not really concerned about Americans. I am concerned, however, about the people who had absolutely no say in the recent election, who were never, ever going to be allowed to vote, and yet will be heavily affected by America's decision to elect Trump. These are the citizens of some of my favourite travel destinations, and their future is looking shaky.
Plaza Vieja in Old Havana.Credit: Getty Images
I'm talking about places like Cuba, and Iran, and the Palestinian Territories. What's next for them? What does the future hold?
It seemed like so many important strides were being taken under Barack Obama's administration to bring those marginalised countries into the mainstream. Tourists were beginning to enter these places. Barriers were being broken down. And now what?
I was in Cuba about a year ago, and you could see the country changing before your eyes. It wasn't so long ago that the only accommodation available to tourists was soulless, government-run hotels. However, recent changes to the law meant regular citizens were allowed to open up "casas particulares", or bed-and-breakfast-style homestays, to welcome foreigners into their communities.
And these casas particulares were springing up everywhere, especially around the touristy hotspots. Hundreds of them. "Everyone is getting ready for the Americans to arrive," said my guide, Liber, before adding nervously: "The only thing that can go wrong is Donald Trump."
I chuckled then at the absurdity of the suggestion that Donald Trump would be elected US president and then dismantle all of the gains made in the relationship between America and Cuba by President Obama. It seemed only a matter of time then before the floodgates opened and the American tourists began arriving en masse – and the local Cubans were getting ready.
What happens to all of those people now? What happens to all of those who'd hoped for financial independence from the Cuban government as a result of this influx of American tourists? Their future looks bleak. The Americans may never arrive. The bed and breakfasts will stand empty.
And what of the Iranians? These are probably the friendliest, most welcoming people in the entire world, and they've been struggling. US sanctions against Iran have rendered their currency almost worthless, and their inclusion in George W. Bush's "Axis of Evil" continues to affect their standing on the global stage.
However, things were beginning to slowly change. The nuclear agreement put in place by President Obama, and the gradual easing of sanctions against Iran, had helped usher the country towards the mainstream of tourism.
Iran is a genuinely popular destination right now. Intrepid Travel's tour there made it into the company's top 20 for the first time last month. Sales have almost doubled in the last year. People want to go there and the Iranians – at least, every single one of the people I met over there – want to see them arrive.
There's money in tourism. There's a chance for prosperity. There's also the chance for frustrated citizens to feel like they're rejoining the modern world again, to mix with people from outside their usual circles, to earn enough money to go and see some more of the world themselves.
But what happens now? What happens if Trump acts on his rhetoric and winds back the nuclear agreement? What happens if he reintroduces sanctions? What happens if it becomes more difficult for tourists, in particular Americans, to enter Iran? A lot of good people will suffer.
And there's probably a similar feeling of hopelessness in the Palestinian Territories right now. It took less than 24 hours after Trump's election for the right wing of Israel's political class to declare, "the era of a Palestinian state is over".
That's extremely bad news for the women I met in the city of Nablus, who run a slow-food cooking school called Bait al Karama. That's bad news for the guys in the restaurant I ate in in Bethlehem. It's bad news for the guide I had in Ramallah. Those people have done nothing to deserve a Trump presidency, and yet they're the ones who will suffer.
The Palestinian people didn't bring Trump into power, the same as Cubans didn't, and Iranians didn't. But they have to deal with him, as will anyone who loves to travel. And that's something for all of us to be worried about.
Instagram: instagram.com/bengroundwater
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