US globetrotters,all but barred from travel to Cuba,pick it as top hotsp

[Judi Lynn]

US globetrotters, all but barred from travel to Cuba, pick it as top hotspot
July 29, 2003



Readers of upscale US magazine Travel and Leisure picked Cuba as their favorite island in the Caribbean

US sanctions on Cuba make it illegal for Americans to spend money on the island, a de facto travel ban.

But that hasn't stopped readers of the upscale US magazine Travel and Leisure from picking Cuba as their favorite island in the Caribbean, Bermuda and Bahamas, in the July 29 World's Best Awards Readers' Survey issue. (snip)

(snip) "The government shouldn't be able to decide where we travel," Flake added noting that Americans are free to travel to other communist states such as China, North Korea and Vietnam, but risk government fines if they are caught spending US dollars in Cuba.

Since Bush took office in January 2001, more than 1,200 Americans have been threatened with a maximum 55,000 dollar fine for violation of Cuba travel-related sanctions -- more than twice the number during former president Bill Clinton's eight year mandate. (snip/)


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[TreasonousBastard]

1. Sucking up to the Miami Cuban vote.

I know Canadians who go to Cuba for vacation and love the place. Here, we're held hostage to our own Cubans.

Yeah, Castro's a scumbag, but certainly not the worst of them, and the best thing we could do with Cuba is open up for trade and let them make a few bucks. That would, however, interfere with the dream of some Cuban exiles to run back there and take over when Fidel kicks the bucket.

[joshcryer]

2. Wow, 1200 Americans.

Didn't realize that they actually tried to enforce the ban in that way.

[duid12]

3. its easy

Have not done it myself, but it is actually quite easy to travel to Cuba if you are an american, you just need to start someplace like the Bahamas instead...lots of flights from Nassau to Cuba...immigration (not US) will even happily not stamp you passport for you to prove where you haven't been....

Its only a matter of time before Castro dies and shortly after there will be an american gold rush to buy up property on the island I am sure...just as millions of baby boomers are retiring....cuba will become almost like a 51st state and retirees will flock there in droves(after all florida is just about full)...look at a map, look how big cuba is (roughly the same as florida)...all that coast line and beaches that has not yet been developed with 20 story condiminiums.....

[Mika]

4. Castro is only one man

"Its only a matter of time before Castro dies and shortly after there will be an american gold rush to buy up property on the island I am sure"


This is just simple fantasy.

The revolution is in place. The people of Cuba will defend it (aside from a few thousand US bought and paid for "dissidents"). ALL of the Cuban people have worked long and hard to create a sovereign Cuba, and they won't just hand it over to their declared enemies. All Cubans have militia training, and will use it to defend against the USA again.

[mumon]

5. The reason why the upscale travelers picked Cuba....

Once you've been to Miami, you know what a rip-off that place is, and you realize its outrageous prices would fall right back to normal if we could go just 90 miles away,...

But, we can't have competition from Socialists, that might jeopardize other cheap-labor capitalist notions..

[Mika]

6. The "exile" leadership that runs Miami..

The "exile" leadership that runs Miami have managed to turn it into the poorest large city in the USA with one of the worst school systems in the country, all while enriching themselves every step of the way. Its the way they ran Batista's Cuba.

[Osolomia]

7. Oh, so Americans aren’t aliens from outer space after all

And react to Cuba the same way millions of people from all over the world have been doing for over 10 YEARS now making it their #1 destination in the Caribbean despite all kinds of threats and intimidation from the USA to this day!

Now that the CANFers are pissed off at Bush and the Repukes what’s the current politically correct Democratic excuse for still being travel banned?

[smallprint]

8. i went there a year ago

spent august in havana. loved it. if anyone reading this has an inkling of an urge to go, i recommend going this year. by the end of the year, according to a new * admin law, they will stop giving licenses to american educational groups to go there-- meaning no new legal tours. of course the old ones will still be in place, and you can always go illegally, as others have noted. i heard going from jamaica is easy and cheap as well.

link: http://www.globalexchange.org/tours/byCountry.html#2

!viva cuba!

[Mika]

9. Glad to hear it, smallprint

I know a lot of Americans who say the same thing about taking a trip to Cuba legally.. they had a great time, plus they saw that Cuba isn't some sort of Devil's Island as depicted by the "exile" worms in Miami.