Currently only certain United States citizens are allowed to travel to Cuba, but this could all be changing. As it stands in order to get a special permit to travel to Cuba you have to fit into one of the following categories.
- Be a journalist
- Be on a humanitarian mission
- Be visiting an immediate family member
- Be promoting agricultural sale
- Be visiting for religious reasons
Recently the House Agriculture Committee has approved a bill that would loosen financial restrictions with Cuba and also allow United States citizens to freely travel to Cuba. In an effort to boost agricultural trade many business groups including the United States Chamber of Commerce, National Farmers Union, American Farm Bureau Federation, and Human Rights Watch are supporting the bill. In fact, there are approximately 140 groups in support of the bill. Also a letter with the signature of about 70 pro democracy Cuban leaders was also sent along encouraging the passage of the bill.
It is believed that increasing trade and lifting the travel ban will benefit the American farmer by introducing additional markets for their products. For 50 years we have been trying to keep our dollars out of Cuba in an effort to topple the Castro regime, a move that obviously has not worked. Since 2000 United States farmers have been Cuba’s largest supplier of agricultural imports but because of U.S. imposed financial restrictions Cuba has recently turned to other cheaper suppliers. Loosening those restrictions would once again open the gates for American farmers. By opening up the island for travel, tourism dollars not only increase the need for American goods but provide the necessary funds for purchasing those goods.
What this means for cruisers
Although the main focus of this bill is obviously to increase the viability of the American farmer a byproduct of this is the ability to travel freely to Cuba. For anyone who has ever dreamt of smoking a Monte Cristo while sipping a mojito in a club in Havana this is great news.
The problem is there is no way Cuba can support a massive influx of visitors. As it stands Cuba just doesn’t have the infrastructure. That doesn’t mean it will never happen but improvements would need to be made. The good news is these changes could probably be made in a relatively short time meaning within 5 years.
Although passage of the bill isn’t guaranteed, Cuba has already started preparing for the day when Cuba will be a mainstay port on several sailings out of the United States. They have begun building world-class resorts on the north side of the island. Reports state that these resorts will rival those in Cancun and other vacation hotspots.
If all goes according to plan this new legislation will bring more than one million additional visitors to Cuba, this would bring a monumental windfall for both the island and the U.S. economy.
How do you feel about traveling to Cuba? Is this a port you would like to visit on a future cruise?
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