Morning: the first activity in our full-time schedule of professional research this morning, it is to attend professional meetings with representatives of the Office of the City Historian. In 1995, special powers were granted to the Office of the City Historian for the administration, restoration and development of the historic center.

The administrative responsibilities of the Office of the City Historian go beyond saving buildings and monuments to the training and hiring of apprentices and artisans, architects, and planners. The Office also plows tourist-generated revenues into operations of schools, hospitals and retirement homes in Old Havana . The office also ensures that schools, hospitals and retirement homes have the necessary resources to operate properly.

With so many responsibilities and an obligation of self-financing all its activities, the Office of the Historian has established several companies to generate the necessary funding to accomplish its goals. Habaguanex S.A., named after a native chief, owns most of Old Havana's tourist facilities, hotels, restaurants, bars, markets and stores. All profits from the companies owned by the Office of the Historian are reinvested in important social projects and restoration work.

Escorted by an architect from the Master Plan of the Office of the City Historian, we will embark on a guided walking tour of Old Havana, UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We will visit restored areas and buildings where restoration is on progress. We also visit some hotels, and business entities that provide financing for the Office of the City Historian.

Visit to Habaguanex S.A. Headquarters and Lonja del Comercio buildings (former Exchange of Havana), a commercial building run by Real State Company Fenix S.A. today.

Visit to the Cathedral Square, the most beautiful and private 18th century colonial plaza of Cuba, named after the masterpiece of Cuban baroque architecture: the Cathedral of Havana built by the Jesuit order.

Welcome lunch: a new wave of paladares (privately-owned restaurants) has recently swept the Cuban dining scene offering excellent food and charming ambient. Today we’ll enjoy a welcome lunch at the stylish Paladar San Cristobal, one of Havana's top ten private restaurants. As part of our full-time schedule of professional research, we will establish a dialogue with local restaurateurs and staff to learn how they have been able to reconcile the socialist centralized economy with the demands of the free market in the booming private Cuban hospitality industry.

Afternoon: our tours and travel to Cuba continues with a meeting with the owners of Havana’s first antique bookstore, Memorias Libreria (Memories Book Store), a privately-owned Cuban genuine antique book store that opened in 2014. Run by self-employed Cubans (cuentapropistas), here we can shop for some rare Cuban artifacts (from collectible Cuban books to coins to postcards and posters).

Next we will pay a visit to Piscolabis Bazar-Café, a privately-owned Cuban bazaar and coffee shop run by self-employed (cuentapropista) Cuban fashion designer Sandra De Huelbes to shop for some exclusive clothing and accessories as well as unique souvenirs and local handicrafts. Shopping in these sorts of stores directly supports the Cuban people and the Cuban families financially while encouraging independent entrepreneurial activities that in turn strengthen civil society in Cuba.

Followed by visit to Clandestina Store & Studio. Founded in 2015 by two women Idania del Río and Leire Fernández, this is Cuba's first independent design store. The space includes a design, creation, and experimentation lab—a printing and finishing workshop; a store that receives 40,000 clients a year and an office that manages a global sales operation. Here you can buy the perfect gift or souvenir while supporting a Cuban family!

These professional meetings with Cuban independent business owners present an unparalleled chance for professors, faculty and staff of universities, colleges and schools of commerce, business administration and economics; economists and members of institutes, centers and organizations for economic research; chief executives officers and entrepreneurs; and other economic scholars from USA, Canada and all over the world to conduct professional research on Cuba's economy and Cuba's business sector and to learn more about private enterprise in Cuba.

Free time in the famous handicraft market of Old Havana where you can purchase all sorts of crafts and souvenirs by local artisans.

Return to accommodation.

Evening: Tropicana, spectacular cabarets to open sky. A unique place in the world to enjoy the music and the Cuban and Caribbean folklore in all their color, musicality and rhythm. An art extravaganza to multiply the Cuban happiness of a true tropical night.

Morning: as part of our full-time schedule of professional research this morning, we will attend professional meetings with representatives of Habanos S.A., a Cuban joint venture with the share capital owned by Cubatabaco, a Cuban Government company and Altadis, a Spanish company owned by IMPERIAL TOBACCO GROUP PLC, a British Tobacco Company. Its corporate purpose is to market all Cuban tobacco products, both in Cuba and throughout the rest of the world, of which the internationally-known Habanos stands out.

These exchanges will be of particularly interest for the professional research of those travelers from USA, Canada and all over the world whose profession, professional background, or area of expertise (including area of graduate-level full-time study) relates to the economics of Cuban joint ventures.

Followed by visit to Partagas Cigar Factory , founded in 1845 by Spaniard Don Jaime Partagas. Don Jaime owned many of the best plantations in the Vuelta Abajo tobacco-growing region of Cuba and being able to choose from among the finest tobaccos on the island made the brand Partagas incredibly successful.

Lunch at Vivero Organoponico Alamar. Dine on natural food prepared by the staff of this collective!

Afternoon: business study tours to Cuba should take the time to explore the unique Cuban cooperative model, a fusion of private entrepreneurship and state-owned property seen by many as a clear opening to free-market models and privatization in the Caribbean nation. State enterprises and lands have been converted into cooperatives which are directly and independently run by workers who have a stake in their success.

As part of our full-time itinerary of professional research, we will exchange with the members of the urban farm Vivero Organoponico Alamar to discuss the cooperative model. This cooperative has about 25 members and provides a range of healthy, organic low-cost food to Havana and environs.

Visit to the Experimental Printing Workshop, another interesting cooperative model. Again, a state-owned building, in this case a historical spacious building dating from colonial times, have been turned into a cooperative where a group of Cuban artists work tirelessly to produce Cuba's finest print artworks.

During today explorations of cooperative models in communist Cuba, participants of our business trips to Cuba will visit (time permitting) different cooperatives such urban farms, farmers’ markets, art workshops, beauty salons, cafeterias, taxi service providers, etc that have been turned into cooperatives by the Cuban government. Cubans have embraced this sort of enterprise that allows them to take home the money they earn for the first time in generations.

Followed by panoramic air conditioned coach tour of the most important historical sites in the Modern Havana neighborhoods of Vedado , and Miramar including the Revolution Square , University of Havana , Habana Libre Hotel, Coppelia Ice Cream Park, Plaza José Martí (in front of U.S. Interests Section), Monument to the Battleship Maine, Malecón seawall, Prado promenade, Central Park, The Great Theatre and the Capitol building.

Evening: attend one of the most traditional and popular ceremonies in Cuba, Fire of the Cannon of 9 O'Clock at the Fortress of San Carlos de La Cabana. Followed by visit to Casa del Habano “La Triada”.

Morning: as part of our full-time schedule of professional research this morning, we will attend professional meetings with Cuban representatives of Havana Club International, a joint venture between Pernod Ricard and the Cuban government. The Havana Club brand is sold outside of Cuba in conjunction with the Pernod Ricard drinks giant. Havana Club is not sold in the United States, however, due to the United States embargo against Cuba. Bacardi sells different rum in the U.S., also called Havana Club but unrelated to the Cuban version. The Bacardi product, which is made in Puerto Rico, has been the subject of trademark violation litigation by Pernod Ricard.

These exchanges will be of particularly interest for the professional research of those travelers from USA, Canada and all over the world whose profession, professional background, or area of expertise (including area of graduate-level full-time study) relates to the economics of Cuban joint ventures.

Optional Lunch: optional lunch presents as a great opportunity to eat in a privately-owned family restaurant which are abundant in the area. Your Authentic Cuba Travel® tour guide will facilitate individual bookings and we will provide you with a list of recommended paladares before tour departure. Enjoy!

Afternoon: visit to the Havana Club Museum of Rum. From freshly cut stalks of sugar cane to a reconstitution of a distillery and ageing cellars, the museum offers a real-time experience of the rum-making process, as well as a taste of true Cuban culture.

Late afternoon: cocktail party at Club Habana. Opportunity to exchange with some of our Cuban counterparts in a relaxed atmosphere.

These exchanges will be of particularly interest for the professional research of those travelers from USA, Canada and all over the world whose profession, professional background, or area of expertise (including area of graduate-level full-time study) relates to the role of the private enterprise on a centrally planned economy, to the types of private sector reform that have occurred or are occurring in socialist countries, to the private sector and bureaucracy, and to the economic role of the family.

Evening: enjoy Afrojazz, Cubajazz and Sonjazz at Club La Zorra y El Cuervo, Havana’s most famous Jazz club, located just around the corner from the National Hotel of Cuba. The club features astonishing performances by island bands and soloists! (optional, not included)

Morning: visit to the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Cuba (MINREX) for a presentation on past, present and future of USA- Cuba diplomatic and economic relations.

As part of our professional research on Cuba’s private enterprise, we will visit Fusterlandia (Fusterland), the studio and residence of one of the most recognizable Cuban artists now working. A ceramicist, muralist, and painter, Jose Fuster has garnered global attention for his highly original—and often whimsical—work.

Meeting the host of our luncheon, Jose Fuster, and seeing his independent community work in the Jaimanitas coastal town, is a unique opportunity to understand the transformation of Cuba society and to grasp in depth of what is happening within the Cuban economy.

Afternoon: we’ll delve deeper into the Cuba’s private enterprise with visits to the privately-owned studios and personal art galleries of some of Cuba's most influential and highly regarded artists representing several generations and practicing in different media. These include Alicia Leal, a painter who often draws inspiration from myth and religion, and her daughter Cirenaica Moreira, whose latest work explores Cuba’s African roots.

Other memorable stops of our Cuba tours include visits with Juan Carlos Alom, an important experimental photographer, and the Britos’ Sisters. Yamilys is a highly respected, young printmaker, and her sister Jaqueline incorporates personal narrative themes into her paintings.

These professional meetings with Cuban independent business owners present an unparalleled chance for professors, faculty and staff of universities, colleges and schools of commerce, business administration and economics; economists and members of institutes, centers and organizations for economic research; chief executives officers and entrepreneurs; and other economic scholars from USA, Canada and all over the world to conduct professional research on the role of the private enterprise on Cuba’s centrally planned economy, the types of private sector reform that have occurred or are occurring in Cuba, the private sector and bureaucracy, and the economic role of the Cuban family.

Evening: attend baseball game at the Latin-American Stadium of Havana (to be confirmed).

Day trip to Varadero Beach , the largest resort complex in the Caribbean. It lies on a twenty kilometre long peninsula with fantastic soft white beaches gleaming in the sunshine. Cuba receives over 2 million tourists a year; almost 40% of those visit Varadero. The area offers dozens of other tourist facilities like restaurants, cafeterias, marinas, a golf course, a dolphin aquarium and a tourism and hotel management school.

In the mid 1990s tourism surpassed sugar, long the mainstay of the Cuban economy, as the primary source of foreign exchange. Tourism figures prominently in the Cuban Government's plans for development, and a top official cast it as the "heart of the economy". Cuba devotes significant resources to building new tourist facilities and renovating historic structures for use in the tourism sector.

Rest stop in Bacunayagua Bridge for a Piña Colada and enjoy the view over the highest bridge (110 mts) in Cuba, one of the marvels of Cuban post- revolutionary architecture.

Visit to Matanzas City , also known as the Venice of Cuba and the city of bridges of which there are seventeen crossing the three rivers that traverse the city (over Yumuri, San Juan, and Canimar rivers). It is also known as "La Atenas de Cuba" (the Athens of Cuba) for its wealth of poets.

Visit to Ediciones Vigia. A unique publishing house that produces handmade paper and first edition copies of books. Only 200 copies of each book is made so each is a collector’s item. Meet with director, publishers and artists.

Panoramic motor coach tour of the Peninsula de Hicacos, Varadero to witness tourism development in the area. To understand the importance of tourism for Cuba’s economy you must visit Varadero. Period!

Optional Lunch: optional lunch presents as a great opportunity to eat in a privately-owned family restaurant which are abundant in the area. Your Authentic Cuba Travel® tour guide will facilitate individual bookings and we will provide you with a list of recommended paladares before tour departure. Enjoy!

Afternoon: during today explorations of privately-owned businesses in Varadero, we will meet with the owners and staff of paladares (privately-owned restaurant), casas particulares (private rental accommodations owned by a Cuban family or individual), privately-owned art galleries and stores, and other independent businesses to learn more about Cuba’s economy and business sector.

These professional meetings with Cuban independent business owners present an unparalleled chance for professors, faculty and staff of universities, colleges and schools of commerce, business administration and economics; economists and members of institutes, centers and organizations for economic research; chief executives officers and entrepreneurs; and other economic scholars from USA, Canada and all over the world to conduct professional research on Cuba's economy and Cuba's business sector and to learn more about private enterprise in Cuba.

Afternoon: return to Havana city.

Morning: we board privately-owned Cuba’s vintage American cars from the 1950’s to follow Hemingway's trail in Havana in style. In 1960, the new government of Cuba nationalized numerous US-owned businesses, in response; the US government imposed a total ban on exports to Cuba, so the regular import of American-made cars to the island was completely cut off overnight. Your participation in these activities directly supports the Cuban people and the Cuban families financially while encouraging independent entrepreneurial activities that in turn strengthen civil society in Cuba.

Still deeply remembered and beloved in Cuba, American author Ernest Hemingway established his primary residence in Finca La Vigia in 1939. A shared heritage that brings together the United States and Cuba, Finca La Vigia (or the Lookout Farm) is a must-visit attraction in our education tours to Cuba. The country estate comprises a large main house, extensive gardens, a tower and a swimming pool. It also contains Hemingway’s favourite things: hunting trophies, fishing gear, paintings, photographs, a valuable library as well as his manuscripts, correspondence and journals.

No other place in the world contains such a memorabilia of Ernest Hemingway as Finca La Vigia. Because of the strained relationship in between US and Cuba, little is known in North America about the life of the US author in Cuba and the influence of the Caribbean island on his literary production and career. Our Cuba education tours attempt to shed lights on several aspects of Hemingway's life and work in Cuba with a guided tour of this property where he lived for over 20 years.

Complimentary lunch at La Terracita Paladar in Cojimar fishing village, one of Hemingway's favourite hangouts. Eating in private family-run restaurants directly supports the Cuban people and the Cuban families financially while encouraging independent entrepreneurial activities that in turn strengthen civil society in Cuba.

Followed by a guided walking tour of Cojimar fishing village, the coastal town where El Pilar boat was docked during Hemingway’s times in Cuba. We will visit a small commemorative plaza near Cojimar waterfront that contains a gazebo and a bust of Ernest Hemingway.

Afternoon: during today explorations of privately-owned businesses in Havana, we will meet with the owners and staff of paladares (privately-owned restaurant), casas particulares (private rental accommodations owned by a Cuban family or individual), privately-owned art galleries and stores, and other independent businesses to learn more about Cuba’s economy and business sector.

These professional meetings with Cuban independent business owners present an unparalleled chance for professors, faculty and staff of universities, colleges and schools of commerce, business administration and economics; economists and members of institutes, centers and organizations for economic research; chief executives officers and entrepreneurs; and other economic scholars from USA, Canada and all over the world to conduct professional research on Cuba's economy and Cuba's business sector and to learn more about private enterprise in Cuba.

Farewell dinner at La Cocina de Liliam where ex- president James Carter dinned in his last visit to Cuba.

Early morning departure to Havana City Havana City International Airport for departure.