Changes with Cuba Travel Post Trump Administration

The ship “Azamara Quest” from the U.S. company Royal Caribbean, arrives at the harbor of Havana, Cuba

Just last week, President Donald Trump has been finalizing changes to the current travel policy for U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba. The revised policy reverts to the pre-2016 rule, which according to Travel Weekly “mandates that anyone traveling under the people-to-people category must be part of a group to ensure compliance with federal rules that prohibit tourism visits to Cuba.”

What does that mean for Americans? It means that Americans traveling to Cuba must be visiting for at least 1 of the 12 categories:

•     Family visits
•     Official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations
•     Religious activities
•     Public performances
•     Clinics
•     Workshops
•     Athletic and other competitions
•     Exhibitions
•     Support for the Cuban people
•     Humanitarian projects
•     Activities or private foundations or research or educational institutes
•     Exportation, importation, or transmission of information or informational materials, and certain authorized export transactions

Assuming travel falls into one of the aforementioned categories, individuals do not need to apply for an additional license from the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to travel to Cuba.

What is important to note about this new change is that solo travel is being more and more prohibited. Travelers are now having to rely on a tour operator (which is often costly) and participate in a group tour to visit Cuba. Tour operators, such as Intrepid Travel, are not backing down from selling and promoting trips to Cuba. The news may seem like a step back for our relationship with Cuba; it is business as usual for these tour operators who stand for “open borders and stand[ing] with Cuba.”
Hopefully, in due time, the relationship between Cuba and the U.S. will continue to strengthen, and the beautiful country will get to be enjoyed and shared by travelers worldwide. Stay tuned.

-Cassandra Harris

Cassandra Harris is a Global Travel Agent who enjoys writing about travel and current events. She is the owner of the travel blog Travel Agent Diary.