This year, US-Cuba travel has been a hot topic of debate. Whether US citizens will be able to freely travel to Cuba without special permission is still up in the air, but the allowance is gaining momentum, and concrete goals are being set.
Both backers and opponents of the bill seem to disagree on where the progress is headed, but one thing is for certain: There hasn’t been an effort to remove the ban as strong as this since it was instated in the 1960s.
Some very real steps have been taken recently. On Sept. 3, President Obama opened travel for Cuban Americans to visit family in Cuba. Unless you fall in that category, however, a US citizen needs special permission to travel to Cuba, like a business trip or a religious expedition.
Right now, 60-70 percent of Americans would like to lift the ban created in the 1960s, and Cuban officials think that opening communication would be important enough to get some concession out of Havana. It’s been said that the casual and peaceful contact between the countries’ residents might even outshine anything either governments have to say.
Many people within the US are working toward making a statement. Notable leaders in the media and agriculture industries are pushing to have their voices heard, and Representative William Delahunt (D, Mass.) has gathered 180 sponsors out of the necessary 218 to gain passage. The goal for most advocates is to arrange for open travel in the next six months.
Travelers: If US citizens were allowed to travel freely within Cuba, how long do you think it would take for Americans to feel comfortable enough to actually book a flight to Cuba? Would you consider traveling to Cuba, or would you wait until you heard about other travelers’ success stories? What questions would you need to have answered before you considered exploring Cuba on your own?
© Cheapflights Ltd Andrea Mooney
