New measures announced by the US Department of State will allow US citizens opportunity to travel to Cuba, a Caribbean Island which has faced travel restrictions for many years.
The Trump administration had banned airlines and chartered flights from going to any cities in Cuba other than Havana in 2019, but this week, the Biden administration has announced plans to ease some of these restrictions in order to “support the Cuban people”, according to a report in The Washington Post.
The change will offer more options and flexibility and should make things easier for people trying to visit Cuban friends and relatives who don’t live in the capital; however, limits are still in place; visitors need to travel under one of twelve categories such as school trip, journalism, family visit.
According to The Washington Post, Americans visiting Cuba “must have a full-time schedule of activities that enhance contact with locals, support civil society in Cuba, result in meaningful interaction with residents, or promote independence from Cuban authorities.”
With this level of bureaucracy, it seems unlikely that Cuba will replace the popularity of other Caribbean islands with American tourists, such as the Dominican Republic.
