New Cuba policy will limit travel for Americans

Madison Rexroat
June 26, 2017

Last year, Cuba opened for American travel for the first time since the 1960s, an opportunity many were quick to take advantage of (including the Kardashians). College students took advantage of it, too, with study abroad and ultra-unique spring break trips. 

Those trips are about to be even more unique as President Trump announced earlier this month that President Obama’s deal that lifted the travel and trade embargo would be cancelled. That means that Americans will no longer be able to travel freely to Cuba or plan their own vacations there unless they are with an organized group approved by the Treasury Department.

The new policy limits travel significantly, almost exclusively to religious and educational purposes and with specific travel companies which are often more expensive. Colleges and their students are still able to travel there for study abroad purposes, but that’s it. Hotels, restaurants and businesses operated by the Cuban military will be restricted for all American travelers, college students included. 

The change is meant to pull America out of a “one-sided deal,” which gave Cuba a 13 percent increase in tourism in the past year and a boost of nearly $2 billion to their economy. While some travelers are disappointed and believe the embargo only hurts Cuban people, others think that a lot of that new travel revenue went to the military government instead of the people, which wasn’t a real improvement at all.

To read the full article by USA Today College, click here.