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The emerging music industry in Cuba keeps a close relationship with the tourism sector, being its main market segment and an important source of employment for instrumentalists and singers. Since tourism corresponds to a process of cultural exchange that explores lifestyles and expressions between communities, this art form is an essential part of the recognition between cultures. Our music, praised worldwide for its authenticity, is a source of attraction for visitors from all latitudes. For this reason, the relationship between music and tourism is highly complex given the large amount of resources that are exchanged for goods and services of music.
Cuban music is one of the strongest expressions of national culture and accordingly, if used well, can contribute greatly to the development of international tourism in our country.
However, questions arise:  Is the use of our music in the tourism sector appropriate? Does the visitor get to appreciate all the wealth of our music productions or is only given a biased picture of it? Is the attendance to Cuban artists’ concerts guaranteed? What musicians of our country are the ones working in facilities such as swimming pools, bars, lobbies, restaurants and cabarets? Are the CDs and DVDs from our recording labels properly marketed? Does the tourist have TV programs offering a representative proposal from the wide range of musical genres and styles that are performed in Cuba? Who determines which musicians may or may not perform in tourist facilities and what skills or knowledge have such music makers? What preparation or instruction in the cultural field do the personnel in charge have concerning playing music on equipment that are put in places designed to mostly attend to foreign visitors? These and other questions are the ones that should be formulated when thinking about the relationship between music and tourism established in our country.