Cruises To Cuba May Come To An End

Above, an image of Che Guevara overlooks the Plaza
de la Revolución in Havana. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A more recent article on restrictions on Americans traveling to Cuba was posted by TravelPulse.

I had earlier posted a blog about an April 22 article by the New York Times. This one was posted three days ago and it seems more dire.

It begins with:

Recently announced Trump administration restrictions on U.S. travel to Cuba could bring an unceremonious end to American cruise-line voyages and group travel to the Caribbean nation, said Engage Cuba president James Williams in a Thursday briefing with media. 

Elimination of the specific license for group people-to-people travel, now used by the wide majority of U.S. cruise passengers and organized tour groups, would also dramatically diminish American travel to Cuba, Williams said. Cuban cruise arrivals grew 48 percent year-over-year in 2018, according to Ministry of Tourism official Michel Bernal. 

“There’s been criticism from hard-liners [who say] this is not meaningful interaction with the Cuban people,” said Williams, “but tourism dressed up as a people-to-people exchange.” As a result, the Trump administration is seeking to “severely limit or totally eliminate” the category. 

If enacted, the restrictions would create “an immediate cost to current companies and a chilling environment” on potential businesses including tourism and hospitality firms, Williams said. The regulations would also have a “significant impact for U.S. travel and the U.S. travel industry, particularly the cruise lines,” he added.

According to Travel Weekly, the announcement of possible restrictions has caused a booking rush.

To read more, go here.