MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US tourism industry readies for ban-end to travel and vacation in Cuba

There are growing expectations in the Florida based tourism industry that the US government will let US citizens vacation in Cuba. Next Monday begins a trade fair, considered the largest Caribbean island showcase for tour operators, travel agents, airline and cruise representatives from around the world and all eyes are set on the political decision to open Cuba to US tourists after a 47-year trade embargo, reports USA Today.

”I'm very involved trying to get a law passed to lift the travel ban, and we have lots of (bipartisan) sponsors,“ United States Tour Operators Association president Bob Whitley says. ”I feel it will pass; the key is whether Obama will let it.“

Christopher P. Baker, author of the Moon travel guide to Cuba, who has visited Cuba more than 30 times, believes: ”Momentum is definitely building.“ He expects to see US firms at next week's fair, and ”I'm feeling optimism” that Cuba will again become a sanctioned destination for Americans and their dollars.

Perhaps 40,000 US citizens slip into Cuba annually via Mexican or Canadian airports. (The Cuban government says it does not have statistics.) With an ailing Fidel Castro stepping down as president last year and replaced by brother Raul (“more of a pragmatist,” Baker says), observers say Cuba is more receptive to an influx of American hotels and cruise lines.

”There is demand. A lot of (Americans) want to see Cuba,“ Whitley says.

Many Cubans see the trade embargo “as the main barrier to their advancement,” says Brendan Sainsbury, author of the current Lonely Planet guides to Cuba and Havana, who's just back from a visit. “Americans have always been heartily welcomed.”

Cuba reported 2.3 million tourists last year vs. 3.4 million for the popular nearby Dominican Republic. Most were Canadians and Europeans. “A large tourist infrastructure does exist,” Sainsbury says, especially four dozen mainly all-inclusive resorts on Varadero Beach.

Cubans own the hotel real estate, ”and (foreign) hoteliers don't have free rein to manage as they wish,“ Baker says. Bad service and food are common. ”Communism and good service don't go together,“ he says. Cuba does not get a high percentage of repeat visitors, he says.

While Cuba is expanding tourist facilities, occupancy has run at 78% to 80%, Whitley says, and demand may exceed hotel supply if the embargo is lifted. US chains won't discuss specific plans, but Whitley says he has heard from the president of a major US brand who said that without a doubt he's interested in moving in.

Cruise lines are already poised to add Cuban ports of call, experts say. Whitley says US tour operators could organize Cuban vacations in six months or fewer.

”There is a mystique“ about Cuba, he says. ”A lot of people want to see it because we've been denied the right.“

”The main plus of Cuba is its uniqueness,“ Sainsbury says. ”Due to its isolation over the last 50 years, it has developed in a totally different way.“

The country's ”flavor, sensuality“ and rich culture are attractions, Baker says.

For its part, Cuba has ”never put any restriction on visitation from North American tourists,“ says Alberto Gonzalez Casals, first secretary of the Washington, D.C., Cuban Interests Section. US tourists ”are welcome in Cuba, like all the tourists in the world.“

Whitley says legislation allowing US tourism ”could pass this year. In time, Cuba is going to be one of the major destinations in the Caribbean”.