The Winners and Losers as US Eases Restrictions to Cuba travel
Tongues have started wagging (and some, salivating) in the travel industry upon hearing President Obama’s decision to normalize relations with Cuba in December. Just 90 miles from U.S. shores, the largest island in the Caribbean glimmers like a goldmine with its vintage cars, Hemingway culture, Havana architecture, and white-sand beaches. But not everyone stands to gain from the change in policy. Who wins and who loses is still up and the air, but fortune looks to land on one side or the other for the people on the ground.
In the winners' circle
Travel agents
Within 24 hours of President Obama’s announcement, the phones at the small number of U.S-based travel agencies specializing in Cuba (mostly in Miami) began ringing off the hook with people incorrectly assuming the border light was now green. Many restrictions are still in force, but life does get easier for those who qualify for any of the 12 categories of exclusions, which includes relatives, academics, journalists, and participants in culture exchanges, who no longer need official approval from the U.S government to visit, so long as the agent complies with the regulations of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control . Just be ready to back up your claim at the US border.
Arts and cultural institutions
However tempting the magnificent beaches in Cuba are, stealing any sun on them is still a no go. For now, only “people-to-people” trips are allowed, which are purely cultural and educational in nature, and include venues and tours related to subjects like architecture, baseball, photography, churches, cigars, parks, and cuisine.
Cigar and rum aficionados
Lighting up a Cuban no longer needs to be done under a blanket in a basement, or across the Canadian border. One immediate change in the law allows travelers to bring back up to $400 in Cuban goods, rum and cigars included, although the total of these two cannot exceed $100.
In the losers' circle
Caribbean comrades
Palms are already sweating across the Caribbean, as the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and other nearby islands, which have thus far kept the lion’s share of American dollars. With miles of untapped coastline, relatively cheap room and board, and the allure of the forbidden, Cuba stands ready to siphon off large chunks from their bottom lines.
Canadians
North of the border, the usual response to America’s embargo against Cuba has been, “take off, hoser!” Having never subscribed to the embargo, Canadians have reveled in the island’s refreshing dearth of stars and stripes. Fears of an imminent American takeover are now tweeting across the tundra.
The Castros
The finger of blame for Cuba’s many social and economic woes has remained firmly pointed at the United States since the Castro revolution. No longer the bogey man, the U.S. may quickly split open the small crack in door, just as it did the Iron Curtain, and collapse the whole communist system, or at the very least, open a Starbucks in Plaza Vieja.
Speculation, however, still remains the name of the game, with several significant questions left unanswered and parties on both sides debating what’s to come.