American travelers ready to cruise into Cuba
Posted 4:00 AM
American travelers ready to cruise into Cuba
Experts say the response has been overwhelming as the U.S. considers changing its travel rules.
By Joshua Partlow The Washington Post
MEXICO CITY — There are the people who want to honeymoon on the same beaches their grandparents did decades ago. Those who want to extend their Florida vacations with a quick jaunt to the island 90 miles south. Those who want to buy the Havana Club rum and the hand-rolled cigars and to see the mid-century jalopies before they disappear. And they want to go today.
“The response in our office has been overwhelming,” said Tom Popper, the president of Insight Cuba, an organization that has been running tours legally to Cuba since 2000. “We’re flooded. We’ve never seen anything like it.”
President Obama’s Dec. 17 announcement of his intention to normalize relations with Cuba and end the Cold War-era standoff has generated massive interest among Americans eager to see the Caribbean island for themselves, according to travel industry professionals. But the regulations that restrict those trips to small-group educational and cultural exchanges are still in place, and it is not clear that they will change dramatically. While it may become easier to join a tour focused on cultural or educational themes, Americans will probably not be able to simply go sip rum in the sunshine.
“There is some lack of clarity of what it will mean,” said Bob Guild, vice president of Marazul Charters, a Miami-based travel agency for Cuba tours.
More:
http://www.pressherald.com/2014/12/28/american-travelers-ready-to-cruise-into-cuba/
