U.S. Sanctions Make a Dent in Cuba Trips by Americans

New data from the National Office of Statistics and Information of Cuba shows a sharp decline in tourism activity to the Caribbean island in June, which local officials attribute to sanctions imposed by the Trump administration.

Though the island saw a 2.4 percent increase in international passenger arrivals, there was an abrupt 20 percent drop in visitation once the US sanctions took effect.

Cuba’s Tourism Minister, Manuel Marrero had predicted the decline in tourism when Trump tightened visitation laws for Americans, creating more confusion among American travelers.

Mr. Marrero had anticipated that the sixth month of the year would show a decrease of arrivals close to 20 percent and that 2019 would culminate with a total drop of 10 percent. Arrivals in June were down 20 percent compared to the same month of 2018.

In addition to losing ground among American visitors, Cuba has also lost ground with tourists from Russia, China, and Europe. Visitation from Canada, its main provider of tourists, also fell.

Tightening the Bolts on Cuba

In June, the Trump administration announced its latest crackdown on travel to the country for U.S. citizens. The administration issued a ban on “people to people” travel, which is the most common way Americans had visited the island.

The administration also put a stop to all cruises visiting the country, which had been a boon for the small island nation, bringing in some 800,000 travelers last year who had plenty of money to spend.

Though it is still entirely possible and quite easy to visit the island on a “support for the Cuban people” visa, which is not substantially different from the “people to people” visa that Americans were previously using to visit, the damage by the administration has been done. Many Americans are now unclear about how to visit and opt to take their vacations in destinations that do not present such challenges.

Source: Travel Pulse