Cuba’s increasingly crucial tourism sector grew by 23.2 percent in the first half of 2017, according to new data from Cuba Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero. That represented a total of 2.7 million tourists compared to the first six months of 2016, driven unsurprisingly by a surge in U.S. tourism. Indeed, the U.S. market grew by … Read more
President Donald J. Trump is changing the policy of the U.S. toward Cuba to achieve four objectives: Enhance compliance with United States law—in particular the provisions that govern the embargo of Cuba and the ban on tourism; Hold the Cuban regime accountable for oppression and human rights abuses ignored under the Obama policy; Further the … Read more
It is no surprise that there is a rapid increase in Americans traveling to Cuba. Authoritative rankings are pouring in and they consistently rave about Cuba’s unique culture, architecture, art, music, rum, cigars, beaches and more. For example, in January 2017, U.S. travelers to Cuba totaled 43,200, a 125% increase compared to the same month … Read more
TripAdvisor, one the world’s largest travel sites, has announced that it is among the first U.S. travel companies to receive a license from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to provide and sell travel-related services to travelers to Cuba. The license permits TripAdvisor to promote educational and cultural engagement between travelers … Read more
Cuba is the most interesting place in the world to travel today, but don’t let the allure of the forbidden blind you to some realities about the situation on the ground in the island nation. Cuba is different from most travel destinations and is certainly different from the rest of the Caribbean: it is beautifully … Read more
There is a virtual stampede of travelers headed to Cuba now that commercial flights have started flying most of the 110 daily approved routes authorized by the U.S. and Cuban governments. Cuba is different from most travel destination and is certainly different from the rest of the Caribbean: it is beautifully unspoiled. Despite having more … Read more
In a remarkable twist of fate, Cuba’s forbiddenness is unfolding for Americans for the first time in more than fifty years against the backdrop of a penetrating reality that the once innocent juggling of words in our election industry hides a darker reality, an inner poverty conjoined with the Cuban people’s outward scarcity of material … Read more
For Americans (persons of U.S. jurisdiction), travel to Cuba for “tourist” activities remains prohibited by statute, but there is a lot of flexibility to enjoy Cuba within the boundaries of U.S. rules. You do not have to fly to Cuba through Canada or Mexico as some people did years before the rules changed. There are … Read more
Myths about legal travel to Cuba by U.S. citizens seem to persist despite a year of remarkable progress in terms of political engagement and loosening of U.S. travel restrictions. You don’t have to fly through Mexico or Canada to legally visit Cuba! Quick answers: Travel restrictions and visas: There are 12 approved categories of travel … Read more
Last month, Gaviota’s 5th Avenue Hotel re-branded to operate under a new US brand, Four Points by Sheraton. Gaviota – an arm of the Cuban government/military – and the company behind the brand, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, signed an agreement in March to operate two hotels in Cuba. The 5th Avenue Hotel is the … Read more
