No matter where you place yourself on the political spectrum, it feels like an understatement to say that 2024 has been yet another unprecedented year of geopolitical turbulence. 

Americans, as the citizenry I'm most familiar with and a voting member of, are stumbling toward what could be another contentious November election. Fascinating me as an American currently abroad too, we’re also now in the midst try running an election the “European way,” with a condensed presidential campaign season that’s seemingly led to (somehow) even higher tensions — especially around who gets to lay claim to the American identity, what exactly it means to be an American right now, and the rights and privileges being an American grants. 

It was with this backdrop firmly fixed in mind that made a recent SITE Classic food tour around Little Havana so memorable for me, for reasons way beyond the delicious bites we sampled. 

If incentive travel is about constructing transformational experiences for guests, then this tour was an exemplary model for what all incentive professionals ought to be seeking out in the destinations they visit and operate in. 

Our Little Havana guide, Orlando, wove personal stories and plenty of humor into this roughly three-hour tour that trekked up and down a couple blocks of this distinct Miami neighborhood. He treated us to tasty cultural delights — including empanadas, Cuban coffee, mojitos ft. a raw sugarcane shooter, Cubano sandwiches, pastelillos with guava jam, fresh-squeezed juice, and churros. 

And while everything we tried during the tour was genuinely delicious, what truly elevated the experience was how much the afternoon felt like an “only in Miami” moment. 

At each stop on the tour, Orlando was quick to share facts about what we were going to sample, as well as anecdotes and personal memories tied to the plates on offer or the talents on display in the kitchen, by front-of-house staff, and by the artisans we visited as well. His passion and love for his culture — and the same kinds of love expressed through the food we were served and goods we saw produced — wove each tour stop together, making for a bespoke experience no other destination could replicate. 

What makes this neighborhood special is how proud each establishment was of how they’ve retained some of the best parts of Cuban culture and fused it with the beats, rhythms, and flavors from Miami, too. 

The tour also showcased the importance of community, with brief stops at a 55+ outdoor dominoes club, vibrant tilework and other public art commemorating Cuban-American history and significant milestones, and visits with local small businesses that have been neighborhood mainstays for decades.

 The entire afternoon was an excellent reminder, on a day when the main two US presidential candidates were set to square off in their first (and maybe only) 2024 debate, that stories like the ones Orlando showcased for us are truly “only in America” kinds of experiences.   

This is what makes incentive travel such a powerful motivational tool, when expressed in its best form. 

Orlando reminded us over and over again how immensely special it is to have the right to speak up and share out your stories, good and bad, to impact and move others. I'm so genuinely happy to have shared the afternoon with Orlando and other SITE Classic guests, and for the chance to make new connections and memories over delicious food and such a unique chance to discover more about a fairly new-to-me culture.

It was a super memorable afternoon, with lessons and learnings far beyond simply what we were served up at each tour stop — and a perfect reflection of what I hope incentive travel continues to unlock and do for other guests, on future programs to Miami and other locales! 

Thank you to Orlando with Miami Culinary Tours for a fantastic afternoon, and to Hello! Destination Management for coordinating all of the 2024 SITE Classic Tuesday afternoon tours.