Destino seguro: Sensual Licence and Moral Capital in Cuba’s Nation Brand

This article considers Cuban tourism campaigns as exploitations of moral distinction, underpinned by revolutionary policy and ideology. Drawing on campaign materials and interviews with state actors in the tourist sector, this article explores Cuba’s nation brand since the 2000s as the strategic appropriation of moral capital. Reflecting society’s strong moral basis, articulations of safety, stability and solidarity may be read as attempts to correct unwanted reputations, distinguish Cuba from rival Latin American and Caribbean destinations, and galvanise the legitimacy of Revolution through a codified celebration of its successes. The article thus seeks to add nuance to persistent interpretations of Cuban tourism development since the 1990s as a profit-driven compromise to the Revolution’s moralistic impulse.