Book your tickets and pack your bags – soon you will be able to take tourist flights to Cuba.
Written by Alex Corey
Today, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Cuban Transportation Minister Adel Yzquierdo Rodriguez signed an agreement which will allow regular flights to be established between the U.S. and Cuba. This is a major step towards normalizing relations between the two countries and likely signals an easing of tourism rules in the near future.
As it stands currently, Americans can only travel to Cuba for 12 specified reasons, including the likes of journalism and education initiatives. But with the opening of commercial air routes, it seems almost certain that tourism will soon be permitted.
Almost overnight, the amount of commercial flights from the U.S. to Cuba will go from zero to 110 per day, including 20 to and from Havana. There are already thousands of Americans visiting Cuba each year, but with the new routes, numbers will increase drastically. Last year, 160,000 Americans traveled to Cuba for leisure, according to ABC News.
There is likely to be a rush of American tourism as travel restrictions are eased as many Americans want to see the island in its antiquated state. However, mass travel will be somewhat limited by Cuba’s lack of tourism infrastructure. That being said, there are a host of foreign companies, as well as industries within Cuba, jumping at the possibility of hotel, transportation, and service industry growth. It may just be the tourism industry that helps jumpstart the long stagnant Cuban economy.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, it is hoped that the negotiations will lead to fully established routes by the fall. Start saving up!
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