Can You Vacation in Cuba?

In 1962, President Kennedy ordered his press secretary to secure as many Cuban cigars as the secretary could find. The late President of the United States stockpiled 1,200 cigars for his personal use. Upon securing the cigars, President Kennedy signed the Cuban trade embargo, banning the import of any Cuban products.

Half a century later, President Obama has begun the first steps in normalizing relations with Cuba. Part of the transition is to legalize travel between the United States and Cuba. New policies have been set in place to make that happen. Can Americans legally vacation in Cuba now?

Opening the Island Nation

The focus on the Cuba debate is whether the embargo hurts the Cuban government or the Cuban government. Ignoring the fact that the Castros have been in power since 1959, the debate should shift more towards whether opening Cuba is in America’s best interest. The “education” tours show that there is money to be made by opening further travel to Cuba.

Tourism is obviously the biggest lure. Americans are still not allowed to travel to Cuba for leisure or recreation. However, under the new rules Americans can now travel to Cuba for “educational activities.” Travel companies and tour groups are taking advantage of the change in policy by offering “educational exchange trips” to tourists. The tours comply with the new rules by giving tourists the opportunity to interact with local Cubans, including farmers, doctors, and fishermen, among others. Of course, these tours also take travelers around the island to see more exotic regions.

The United States doesn’t export enough goods these days and Cuba is a fresh market that might actually stir the economy. Cuba is in need of food stuffs and a new market would greatly boost farm productivity. This is a better option than bankruptcy or taxpayer subsidies (although farmers could potentially get subsidies and export food to Cuba).

This doesn’t mean money is more important than democracy, but the embargo hasn’t lead to a Cuban democracy. If Americans can travel and trade freely with Cuba, our merchants and tourists can help the Cuban people more than CIA agents and battleships.