Cuba travel promoters gear up

[Judi Lynn]

Cuba travel promoters gear up
By William Gibson September 2, 2010 12:19 PM

The unofficial word in Washington is that the Obama administration plans to relax limits on travel to Cuba for professional, educational and artistic purposes.

Some travel promoters are gearing up to handle potentially hundreds of thousands more visits.

Cuba Education Tours, a Canadian outfit, is urging Americans to start booking trips before the anticipated rules change.

There is no need to wait for changes from Washington and be left out on account of overbooked tours and too few rooms and services,” the group says in an e-mail message touting their licensed services.

The tour group promotes a Boomers Whole Cuba Tour, a Havana International Jazz Festival Tour, a New Years Teachers Introduction to Cuba Tour and others detailed at http://CubaFriends.com/.

“Cubans are eager to meet you and make friends with their northern cousins,” says Marcel Hatch, education director for the group.

Canadians have long traveled to Cuba without restraint.

More:
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/dcblog/2010/09/cuba_travel_promoters_gear_up_1.html

[flamingdem]

1. Cuba Travel Providers in Miami have been making a killing

since Obama relaxed restrictions on family visits.

I suspect the Canadian agency sees that its days are numbered and wants to cash in on the next wave.
They have experience with people to people cultural travel and the rules.

It would be nice if some American companies could get some work and hire new employees by simpley
ending the travel ban instead of resorting to more halfway measures.. grumble grumble

[Judi Lynn]

2. It was not that long ago in living memory since the violent "exile" factions

habitually bombed and wrecked travel agencies doing business with Cuba! Marazul Agency suffered an attack, with its employees beaten up, while the attackers demanded to know where the owner, Francisco Aruca, was. He has had several of his offices destroyed, I believe.

(He also founded Radio Progreso, and suffered additional attacks for that!)

Yes, there's no doubt, I'm sure, many of the new travel to Cuba agencies will be children of people who foamed at the mouth over the prospect of dropping the travel ban originally!