Packaged Vacations: Tourism Development in the Spanish Caribbean

1. The Rockefellers

1 The Rockefellers During the early 1940s and in the aftermath of World War II, the third generation of Rockefellers, particularly Nelson and Laurance, played a critical role in establishing paradigms for decentralized tourism. Nevertheless, their primary interests generally did not center on tourism for tourism’s sake. Nelson Rockefeller’s experience working for the Franklin Roosevelt administration as coordinator of Inter-American Affairs in the late 1930s and early 1940s provided him with the opportunity to work out a theoretical model for simultaneously improving relations with Latin American nations and promoting private business there. By 1943, Nelson Rockefeller was planning for the postwar economy and promoting partnerships between private interests in the United States and Latin America. Looking toward the end of the war, Rockefeller observed, “There is only one way in which we can maintain the unity of objective and action which exists today, and that is by developing a program which will bring about a steadily rising standard of living for the peoples of all countries and classes throughout the hemisphere.” Rockefeller stressed that immediate action throughout Latin America would be the key to building solid relationships throughout the hemisphere. “It is no exaggeration to say,” Rockefeller wrote, “that the extent of the future prosperity and welfare of the Hemisphere will depend largely on the plans which will be laid during the coming year. We have a unique opportunity today, an opportunity which the United States will probably never have again.” In order to strengthen existing relations , he noted the need for stronger ties between American diplomacy and  The American Caribbean business activities in the region. These business partnerships would build a solid defense against the return of European business interests following the war. Not surprisingly, the stimulation of tourism in Latin America played a part in Rockefeller’s vision of postwar Latin America. One of the objectives of the Inter-American Development Commission’s transportation committee was to stimulate tourism and air travel between Latin America and the United States, including the construction of airports, passenger terminals, and “facilities including hotels.” Rockefeller noted that tourists would not only stimulate the growth of hotels, airport infrastructure, and commerce in Latin America but also serve as cultural ambassadors between North and South America. Sensing a closing window of opportunity, he urged expedient action: “It is reasonable to believe that Congress is not going to continue to make large appropriations to carry on the work in these fields after the war, and therefore arrangements must be made now to broaden the base of support of these programs so that when the war is over the most important part of the work can be carried out.”1 Hotels and Tourism Encouraged by Venezuelan officials, the Rockefeller brothers contributed to the stimulation of tourism and business travel through their funding of the Hotel Avila, beginning in 1940. A feasibility study, carried out by Robert Bottome , an executive working with the Rockefeller brothers in Caracas, clarified the benefits and challenges of building a world-class hotel in a developing nation. It was noted, to no one’s surprise, that many of the hotel’s clients would be stateside employees of the petroleum companies doing business in Venezuela. With very little long-term tourism traffic in Venezuela, day tourists in Caracas, either from cruise ships or airlines, would serve as another source of revenue. Venezuelan public officials and local elites would provide a third source of income. Bottome’s report also supported the Rockefeller brothers’ proposed hotel through its assessment of the local hotel market. At the time, there were no modern hotels in Caracas. The six hotels that did operate offered only a combined 220 rooms. In January 1939, the acting American commercial attaché for Caracas, Ralph H. Ackerman, observed: “What is known as first class accommodations in the United States cannot be secured in Venezuela.” The report corroborated this claim. Among other things, it noted deficiencies in food availability and preparation posed potential problems, as food service would provide revenue for the hotel. Skilled cooks could not be found in Caracas and would have to be imported. High-quality meat was also scarce.  The Rockefellers Lack of construction expertise and materials posed challenges to creating a modernist hotel in Caracas. In terms of construction of a modern structure, the report noted, “There is no such thing in Caracas as a firm of architects. There are two or three sons...