Cuba Journal | Cuba Journal

A Big Step for US-Cuba Telecom

October 10, 2015June 22, 2015 by Cuba Journal

By the Cuba Journal staff New Jersey-based IDT has become the first US telecommunications company to negotiate a deal that will allow international phone calls between Cuba and the US. According to the Miami Herald, IDT reached an agreement with ETECSA, Cuba’s telecommunications company, on Wednesday. “This is an important first step in the liberalization … Read more

The Future of Cuba’s Legendary Cigar Industry

October 10, 2015June 22, 2015 by Cuba Journal

By the Cuba Journal Staff Image by: Big101big The soil of Pinar del Río, a province located in Cuba’s southwest, nourishes the distinctive flavor and mystique that has defined the island nation’s image as a producer of the world’s best cigars. Fidel Castro made a special effort to brand himself as a cigar-chomping revolutionary in … Read more

A New Way to Text in Cuba

October 10, 2015June 22, 2015 by Cuba Journal

By the Cuba Journal staff A new Fort Lauderdale Company is launching a service called SMS Cuba, which will allow Cubans to send text-messages at a much cheaper rate than ever before, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Behind this endeavor is telecom entrepreneur Frank S. Caruso, who began working on the concept after a … Read more

A Poet in Cuba

October 10, 2015June 19, 2015 by Cuba Journal

By the Cuba Journal staff American poet Richard Blanco visited Cuba this week as one of a recent series of expressions of softening of relations between the United States and Cuba, according to a report by ABC News. At President Obama’s 2012 swearing-in, Blanco became the first immigrant, first openly gay person, and first Latino … Read more

Twitter Looks to Enter Cuba As Country Broadens Public Internet Access

October 10, 2015June 19, 2015 by Cuba Journal

By the Cuba Journal staff Cuba has announced that it will be broadening public internet access capabilities by equipping government-run internet centers with Wi-Fi, according to CBC. It will also be reducing the cost of the use of such sites by over 50-percent, and while a $0 per hour fee will remain, this price cut … Read more

Engage Cuba Coalition Challenges Legislative Roadblocks

October 10, 2015June 18, 2015 by Cuba Journal

By Cuba Journal Staff Engage Cuba is an independent public policy organization dedicated to mobilizing American businesses, non-profit groups and concerned citizens in support of the the ongoing U.S.‐Cuba normalization process and enacting legislation to reform U.S. travel and trade restrictions with Cuba. Despite its short life, the organization has acquired an impressive membership roster. To … Read more

The Major Issues Holding Up New US-Cuba Embassies

October 10, 2015June 17, 2015 by Cuba Journal

Above: Havana (Photo: Cuba Travel Services) By the Cuba Journal staff They were even ordering office supplies that said Embassy instead of “Interests Section.” After US President Barack Obama’s surprise announcement that he would seek to normalize relations with Cuba, it seemed that it would only be a short time before the US opened its … Read more

After Years Of Delay, Cuba May Finally End Its Dual Currency System

October 10, 2015June 17, 2015 by Cuba Journal

By the Cuba Journal Staff. Image by: Migdiachinea The Cuban government announced in 2013 plans to end the country’s dual-currency system. Normalization of relations with the United States will likely allow a new currency plan to succeed this year. Today, most Cubans are paid in the Cuban peso, or CUP, while the majority of the … Read more

The 4 Best Beaches To Visit In Cuba

October 10, 2015June 16, 2015 by Cuba Journal

Despite an uninterrupted boom in the world’s travel infrastructure in the last 50 years, Cuba’s relatively modest development has some hidden benefits. One little known benefit from Cuba’s policy of isolation is the preservation of its coastline that remains mostly unspoiled by bulldozers and asphalt. Its pristine beaches sparkle with seashells and vegetation rather than the typical sprawl of highrises and parking lots so familiar to most Western tourists. Cuba is a haven. Here are four of the beaches you must see on your next trip to Cuba.

US-Cuba Embassy Announcement Expected Soon

October 10, 2015June 13, 2015 by Cuba Journal

By Cuba Journal staff photo by: Anna Rydin On Friday, Reuters cited sources suggesting the Obama administration is expected to announce an agreement with Cuba to reopen embassies and restore diplomatic relations severed more than five decades ago. The announcement is expected in July, clearing the way for Secretary of State John Kerry to visit … Read more