Cuba Tourism Shows Promise With Possible Embargo Shifts

After decades of trade embargos, economic relations between the United States and Cuba could see a shift in coming months. Although the Obama-administration has said publicly it intends to maintain the embargo, there has been some discussion of reducing restrictions on Cuban-Americans visiting family members. Some high-ranking officials within the Cuban government have voiced desires for an easing of the current tourism restrictions as well.

If the U.S. liberalizes tourist travel to Cuba, the country is ready to receive the visitors, said Cuba Vice President Carlos Lage in a statement from Prense Latina, the state news agency.
"Our tourism and our people are ready. It's barbaric to prohibit a citizen from visiting his family," said Lage, referring to the 46-year-old U.S. travel embargo.

Tourism to Cuba has grown 10.7% this year over 2007, reaping more than $2 billion in gross revenue and employing more than 300,000 people. It is Cuba's second-largest source of foreign income, behind nickel production.

The government has no plans to delay a $185 million plan to upgrade more than 200 resorts and build 50 boutique hotels by 2010, Trujillo reported.

Despite the U.S. travel embargo, Cuban tourism has been on the rise in recent years with travelers from Canada and Western Europe making up the bulk of visitors. While there are no significant changes slated for the trade embargo, it is nice to see how far the world has come since the Cuban Missile Crisis. And in this case, any news is good news for classic-car buffs, baseball fans and jazz enthusiasts (Ed. Note: Don't forget cigar aficionados.) the world over.

If you're considering a Cuban vacation, be advised... Americans are not forbidden to set foot on Cuban soil, but the U.S. government continues to restrict its citizenry from spending money in the communist country, as it has since 1961. This has proven an effective deterrent to the development of large-scale tourism from the U.S., though individuals have quietly been visiting Cuba (via third countries) for years.