Ready for your Cuban All-inclusive?
For as long as most of us can remember (it's been nearly 50 years since the trade embargo was imposed), travel to the island nation of Cuba has been severely restricted for Americans - basically impossible for the average citizen.
There have been some thaws, but never really a complete relaxation of restrictions. At it's post-embargo peak, 84,500 Americans who were not of Cuban origin traveled to Cuba in 2003 for a wide variety of educational, cultural, sports and people to people exchanges. For domestic political reasons, the Bush administration choked off most of this non-tourist travel in 2004. There are some very significant signs that the travel restrictions for U.S. citizens may be coming to an end.
The National Tour Association announced its support for The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act, H.R. 874 and S. 428, which was announced Tuesday by co-sponsors of the legislation, Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Michael Enzi, R-Wyo. With more than 700 tour company members, many of which offer travel outbound from the United States, NTA recognizes the importance of this market and the freedom to travel. In the material distributed Tuesday by the Senate sponsors, NTA was cited as a leading travel sector organization member of the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Coalition. “NTA has supported this issue for many years, and we now stand strongly behind the passage of this legislation,” said NTA President Lisa Simon, CTP. “Americans should have the opportunity to explore the world unfettered by travel and currency restrictions, and we anticipate a very high demand for tours to Cuba through our tour operator members who see phenomenal curiosity for travel there. With The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act, Americans can travel to Cuba to experience the rich diversity of Cuban culture and heritage.”
Sens. Dorgan and Enzi, along with co-sponsor Sen. Christopher Dodd,
D-Conn., held a news conference Tuesday announcing the introduction of
the legislation. Reps. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.,
also are introducing legislation. For their leadership with this
legislation, Simon said that NTA applauds Sens. Dorgan, Enzi, Dodd, and
so-sponsoring Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind.; House co-sponsors Delahunt
and Flake, as well as Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif., co-chair of the House
Tourism Caucus and the more than 100 other sponsors in the House. “Once
the legislation is passed, success in this new market will depend on
helping our tour operators learn about Cuba,” Simon said. “We stand
ready to assist them in this new business development.” Re-examination
of travel restrictions, which is addressed by The Freedom to Travel to
Cuba Act, was one of the seven recommendations submitted to President
Obama and leaders of Congress as the result of the December 2008 summit
of travel and tourism organizations.
Cuba is the largest Caribbean island, and is located just 90 miles off the coast of Florida. Take a look at Cuba on the map, and see the size of it in relation to the other Caribbean islands - even Florida...Cuba is BIG! With over 2300 miles of coastline, and nearly as large as the state of Pennsylvania, more than twice the size of Costa Rica, and 10 times the size of Jamaica - you can see the opportunity to find your own little slice of paradise lounging under a palm tree on a deserted stretch....
Remember, it's a big world. The U.S. stands alone in it's travel ban. Canadians have been free to travel to Cuba for well over 30 years! The travel industry into Cuba is actually quite robust. With visitors from Canada, Europe, Mexico and across the world. There are hotel accommodations ranging from budget to 5-Star. Hundreds of some of the best beaches in the world. A truly unique culture, amazing architecture, and a virtual museum showcase of vintage Detroit products rolling down every street. Oh yes, and they make a pretty good cigar....
So, what do you think - are you going to be one of the first to go check it out? Give me your thoughts....
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