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President Donald Trump is expected to announce revisions to U.S.-Cuba policies on Friday in Miami, according to media sources.
The White House, however, has yet to confirm when or where such an announcement will be made.
“Nothing to announce at this time but will keep you posted,” a spokesperson told Travel Weekly on Monday.
For months, the travel industry has awaited an announcement from the Trump administration on whether it would reverse at least portions of the re-engagement between the former Cold War foes that the Obama administration initiated.
The Trump team hasn’t shown its hand on that question yet, at least publicly, though Trump did threaten to terminate new U.S.-Cuba agreements in a November tweet unless the communist nation made “a better deal for the Cuban people.”
In an interview Monday, John Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, said that his government contacts say no policy decision is final yet.
But Kavulich did detail several potential changes in an email on Sunday. Notable for the travel industry, he said that the administration continues to consider putting an end to self-directed travel and returning to rules that allow only group travel to Cuba for people-to-people programs. There is also a consideration of ending people-to-people programs entirely, he said.
The people-to-people exchanges are one of 12 legal exemptions to the Cuba travel ban and the one most frequently used by the tourism industry.
Travelers should expect stricter enforcement by customs agents and the Department of Homeland Security, Kavulich wrote.
Another major change that is expected, Kavulich wrote, is a prohibition from U.S. companies and individuals doing business with the entities controlled by the Cuban military. That impacts travel since the military runs much of Cuba’s tourism infrastructure, including hotels and tour companies.
In an interview, Insight Cuba president Tom Popper said he doesn’t expect major changes to Obama’s Cuba policy, and he definitely doesn’t think Trump will put an end to the normalization process.
“We all agree President Trump has to do something, whether it’s wholly symbolic [or] symbolic plus minor alterations. Every president puts their fingerprints on Cuba policy,” Popper said.
Some analysts interpret Trump’s expected plan to make his Cuba policy announcement in Miami as a sign that he will be pleasing hardliners within the city’s Cuban-American community.
Sоurсе: travelweekly.com
