The Trump Administration has rolled out a series of new restrictions on travel to Cuba, once again closing off the island to many Americans.
If you were planning a holiday to Cuba under the guise of a “people to people” exchange, it is too late. You’ll now need to book via authorized tour operator and be accompanied by a tour guide.
Over 80 hotels are now off-limits to Americans as are many stores and restaurants the U.S. claims are owned by the Cuban military. Banned hotels include the brand new Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana and the Four Points Havana Hotel.
Mexico and Canada will once again become popular transit point for Americans wishing to flout the rules.
Some things, won’t change however. America’s diplomatic ties to Cuba will not be broken. The Embassy will remain in Havana. Airlines can continue to operate scheduled service to Cuba.
If you’ve already booked a trip to Cuba, you can still take it–even to hotels that are now banned.
But the Administration warns those who flout the new rules may be subject to prosecution…
You can find more information directly from the State Department here or Treasury Department here (.pdf).
CONCLUSION
I shouldn’t opine, but I cannot help myself. These confusing new rules will scare away many American visitors to Cuba and hurt the very Cubans this policy is intended to protect. Sure, the government-run stores and hotels may feel the pinch, but so will the Cuban workers who may now lose their jobs.
But this move is no surprise. The President promised such action in June and the Cuban-American constituency in Florida is vital to his re-election chances, especially as thousands of Puerto Ricans have now resettled to Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
(H/T Travel Skills)
Hasn’t everyone who wanted to go to Cuba already gone? It seems to me like everyone, almost to a person that has gone, has basically said, Hotels and Internet are both mediocre to bad and very expensive and that they wouldn’t return anytime soon. Airlines serving Cuba have already either cut or have indicated that they will cut flights to Cuba due to low demand. So will Americans even notice these new restrictions?