Since the announcement earlier this month of tightened restrictions on Americans traveling to Cuba, we’re hearing this question a lot, “Are Cuba tours still legal for Americans?”
The answer is yes. The new restrictions eliminated the People-to-People provision under which most tour operators and all cruises functioned. As a Cuba tour operator since 2002, our tours have always operated under legal provisions other than People-to-People. That said, we do not have carte blanche to provide purely recreational travel services in Cuba. In order to comply with these provisions, there are definite guidelines we must follow about how travelers spend their time. Give us a call for a fuller explanation of the law.
Along with the end of cruising to Cuba goes budget travel to Cuba. Relative to all other visitors to Cuba, Americans are charged a premium by hotels and ground operators. Cuba has a particular appeal to Americans because of the complicated history between the two nations and the long, near-absolute moratorium on travel. Presumably, Cubans reason that Americans are motivated enough to pay higher rates than, say Canadians or South Americans. Now that cruise ship competition is no longer a factor, we expect hotel rates to rise even more.
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