President Obama’s order on Wednesday to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba after more than 50 years has many ramifications, including for travel.Many restrictions remain in place for Americans wanting to visit Cuba, but the order makes it easier for a number of prospective travelers.
Q. What impact will Wednesday’s announcement have on the number of Americans wanting to travel to Cuba?
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How America’s Relationship With Cuba Will ChangeDEC. 17, 2014
A. It’s too early to tell. Many Americans clearly have a strong interest in traveling to Cuba. Citing Cuban government data, The Times reported on Dec. 2 that more than 90,000 Americans visited Cuba legally in 2012 and 2013 — more than twice the number that traveled (to Cuba) legally in 2008 — under people-to-people cultural exchanges. These exchanges, which require travelers to go with a licensed operator, were reinstituted by President Obama in 2011 to allow travel to Cuba for educational purposes, “not for down time on the beach,” said Steve Loucks, chief communications officer at the Plymouth, Minn.-based Travel Leaders Group.
Mr. Loucks said he anticipates demand for these exchanges to continue to increase, especially after Wednesday’s announcement. “We are already feeling a great deal of demand from clients wanting to go to Cuba, because it has been off limits for over 50 years,” he said. “We now expect the number of bookings to Cuba to grow exponentially.”
Q. Does this mean travel agencies will start organizing more trips to Cuba?
A. In some cases, yes. In fact, some were trying to meet increased demand before Wednesday’s announcement. Last week, Tauck, a tour operator based in Norwalk, Conn., extended its eight-day people-to-people cultural journey to Cuba to 13 days with stops in five cities.
“I think it’s a destination like no other,” said Katharine Bonner, vice president for river and small ship cruising at Tauck, who has taken five trips to Cuba in the last three years.
Joe Diaz, co-founder of the travel and publishing company Afar Media, said he agreed with that description. “It is really something out of the 1950s,” he said. “That’s what makes Cuba special."
Q. Will getting a passport/visa become easier?
A. Mr. Diaz said he thinks so. “But it seems like leisure and tourist travel are still prohibited,” he said. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”
This New York Times information graphic identifies the exceptions for United States citizens and permanent residents who want to travel to Cuba on a general license that require no special permission.
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President Obama’s order will open up general licenses to travel for the following reasons, which previously required approval on a case-by-case basis:
Public performances, workshops and athletic competitions.
Support for the Cuban people, including human rights work. Humanitarian work. Private foundations and institutes. Information dissemination.
Travel related to export of authorized products.
But lifting all restrictions on travel, including for tourism, would require congressional approval.
Q. Will United States airlines start flying commercially to Cuba?
A. Possibly, but don’t head to Kennedy International Airport or O’Hare International Airport any time soon and expect to hop a commercial flight to Havana. Commercial service from the United States to the Cuban capital is “going to be down the road,” Mr. Loucks said. “Many airlines are already flying between Miami and Havana, but it’s more of a charter service. It’s essentially ferrying family members back and forth along with those on people-to-people exchanges.”
Q. What is the hotel room/accommodation situation in Cuba now?
A. “There is a lot, but at the high end there are only a couple of good properties,” Mr. Diaz said. “People don’t go to Cuba for the luxury — they go for the music, culture and arts scene.”
But if Cuba opens up to American tourists and their penchant for luxury accommodations, “you’re going to see American hoteliers doing their best to find potential properties in Cuba,” Mr. Loucks said. “There are some standout properties there in Havana and some of the beach communities.”
Q. What will be the impact of travelers being able to use United States debit and credit cards in Cuba?
A: A positive one, Ms. Bonner said. “Being able to use credit cards will make it so much easier,” she said. “Right now you have to think in advance how much cash you need, and it can become quite an ordeal.”
The United States trade embargo is still in place, and will be until Congress says otherwise, but as a result of the administration’s policy shift, “licensed U.S. travelers to Cuba will be authorized to import $400 worth of goods from Cuba, of which no more than $100 can consist of tobacco products and alcohol combined,” the White House said. That’s good news for Cuban cigar and rum aficionados returning to the United States.
Q. What are other changes American visitors to Cuba can expect?
A. The administration has said it will re-establish a United States Embassy in Havana, which could be widely embraced by American tour operators and visitors to Cuba.
“Having a U.S. Embassy in a destination puts everyone’s mind at ease,” Ms. Bonner said.
Getting connected to the Internet is another change that could be coming for visitors to the island. “Some hotels in Cuba don’t have Internet at all,” Ms. Bonner said. According to the White House, “Cuba has an Internet penetration of about 5 percent — one of the lowest rates in the world.” Changes by the administration could help Cuba strengthen its technological infrastructure. Ms. Bonner, though, said she is taking a wait-and-see approach with this and the other measures outlined on Wednesday.
“Nothing’s going to change because someone sent out a press release,” she said.