No instant changes for travel to Cuba

A fisherman stands in his boat in the Havana harbor.
A fisherman stands in his boat in the Havana harbor.

Frank Reno, president of Cuba Executive Travel, Inc. in Tampa, Fla., has organized many travel groups to Cuba since travel restrictions were first relaxed five years ago. He is licensed by the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and was interviewed about President Barack Obama's recent restoration of diplomatic relations with Cuba, just days after he returned from a trip there.

What does the recent restoration of diplomatic relations with Cuba mean for potential U.S. travel to Cuba? It is uncertain. Currently, there are no new updated regulations, and my gut tells me this could take a while due to politics and the time involved in issuing new regulations. OFAC guidance has been "all U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba must do so under a license." In order to totally lift the travel embargo, an act of Congress reversing the Helms-Burton Act would need to pass.

What are the main changes when it comes to what you do and what the traveler will experience? Until Washington tells me otherwise, there will be very little change as to the traveler experience. We must comply with U.S. law as currently written. If in two or three months the [regulations] are changed, we will operate under those new guidelines. Although the media has reported that you will now be able to use U.S. credit and debit cards as well as access to some electronic media, right now those things are not in place, so bring cash.

What is your advice for anyone wanting to travel to Cuba from the States? Cuba is unique. While it is one of the most beautiful places you will ever visit, it is still a developing country that is under a hybrid socialist system that has started on the path toward capitalism in small business. But it is still dealing with a 50-plus-year U.S. trade embargo. However, Cubans do like Americans and it is safer than most countries in the Western Hemisphere.

As someone who has taken many groups to Cuba, what is your personal view about the outlook for U.S. travel to Cuba? I am optimistic. The momentum for change has begun and I don't see it being reversed. It is just a matter of when it happens; not if.

The new U.S. policy changes will create a U.S. Embassy in Havana (contingent on funding), replacing the Cuban Information Desk there today. It also means that eventually U.S. corporations will be allowed to offer credit and debit card processing there, among other relaxation of economic ties, such as bringing back Cuban cigars and other valuables up to $400.

For more information on all of these issues and more, contact the U.S. Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control at tinyurl.com/ppbvsb3 or contact Frank Reno at Cuba Executive Travel Inc, (813) 244-1639, cubaexecutivetravel.com.

Travel on 01/18/2015

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