CUBA — Channel 9's Jorge Estevez is in the heart of Havana, Cuba exploring its beauty, its people and its culture.
Estevez discovered how an increase in tourism in Cuba could potentially affect Central Florida's economy.
Historical relics share the road with reminders of more modern times.
Tourists said they want to see Cuba before the U.S. breaks through.
Slideshow: Jorge Estevez travels to Cuba
Video: Jorge explores the heart of Havana
Video: Hemingway's House in Cuba
Video: Jorge shows how tourists get around the island
Stay with WFTV.com all week for updates on Jorge's travels.
"So you want to come here before capitalism?" asked Estevez.
"Yeah, because then it will change and we will never see it again like it is now," said tourist Carmen Weller.
WFTV's cameras captured tour buses, just as you may see on International Drive, but they ride alongside casual carriages and coco taxis, which look like coconuts on wheels.
"It is a bit like you go back in time," tourist Sabrina Ullmamm said.
The tourists that go to Cuba to admire the Spanish architecture, the open air plazas and the quaint eateries are not a threat to the central Florida economy. In fact, they may prove to be helpful.
"But clearly our brand is very different from what you would expect form an exotic Caribbean destination," said Visit Orlando CEO George Aguel.
"In Disney World, it is all brand new and build up and the copy of the interesting things in the world, and we like to see the original," Ullmamm said.
Estevez noticed people struggling to make due, while being surrounded by the beauty of Cuba.
Communist ideology had kept the island virtually cut off from the rest of the world until recently, when President Obama initiated talks with the island's government. With embassies open again in Washington, D.C., and Havana, many people in central Florida are eager to connect with family on the island.
Authorized travelers may return to the United States with up to $100 of alcohol and/or tobacco products acquired in Cuba in accompanied baggage, for personal use only.
WFTV
