ALERT FOR US TRAVEL AGENTS: Floodgates to Cuba are already open

ALERT FOR US TRAVEL AGENTS: Floodgates to Cuba are already open
Jul 25, 2013

It was about three years ago that experts in the travel industry were
predicting about three to five million Americans would make a mad rush
to Cuba in the first year the forbidden island opens for U.S. tourism.

This observation was posted to theTravel Agent Central blog today.

Three years later, I think those experts may be lowering those figures a
bit. And it's not because the desire by Americans to see the unspoiled
destination has wavered. It's because by the time travel to Cuba is made
legal, many Americans may have already been there - and legally for that
matter.

It appears as though tour operators are starting to get the hang of this
People-to-People initiative, something several operators still didn't
follow accordingly when it was first introduced. The People to People
education program is an initiative that requires Americans to take part
in various cultural experiences in Cuba, essentially, as the name
implies, putting them in direct contact with the people of Cuba with
hopes of learning about the way of life in the country.

It was implemented by President Clinton in 1999 and suspended by
President Bush in 2004 before President Obama resurrected the program
during his first term. Insight Cuba got the ball rolling in 2011. After
Insight Cuba became the first licensed operator to sell Cuba through the
People-to-People initiative, other operators joined suit, including
Collette Vacations, National Geographic Expeditions and International
Expeditions.

But requirements were tightened last year after criticism that many of
the trips were masking recreational tourism to the Communist island.
Cuban-American Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida criticized the
government for approving licenses for groups that included activities
like salsa dancing.

But even the operators who failed at their first cracks of sending
clients to Cuba have refined their programs to adhere to the tighter
restrictions. Back in 2011, Globus was looking into sending U.S. clients
to Cuba in 2012 on religious tours approved by the Center for Caribbean
Religion and Culture. Those plans, however, were scrapped after the U.S.
Department of the Treasury began cracking down on who these operators
were getting their licenses from.

In May, however, Globus announced that it obtained a license that allows
the operator to sell Cuba legally to U.S. clients through the
People-to-People initiative. And like Globus, Abercrombie & Kent USA,
which had tried to enter the Cuba market in September 2011, but pulled
its programs pending a review and clarification of Cuba regulations, has
also been approved recently for a license through the initiative.

Abercrombie & Kent's inaugural departure of Cuba: People to People is
September 6-15, followed by additional departures throughout 2013 and
into 2014.

Meanwhile, A U.S.-based tour company recently announced the launch of
new People-to-People trips to Cuba that would transport U.S. citizens
there by ship.

Road Scholar, a Boston-based company, is offering the trips from Jamaica
and Miami, with stops in Havana and other parts of Cuba.

The U.S. Treasury Department confirmed in an email that transportation
"whether by bus, boat or taxi" in Cuba is permitted as part of the
People-to-People programs as long as it does not detract from a
"full-time schedule of educational activities that will result in
meaningful interaction between the travelers and individuals in Cuba."

Central Holidays also recently added Cuba to the list with a new
People-to-People "Discover Cuba" cultural exchange offer. The program
allows travelers to connect with the country's architecture, music, art
and culture in an authentic way by facilitating exchange between them
and residents.

Earlier this month, Tauck reported that it will again be offering
departures of its People-to-People cultural exchange journeys to Cuba,
following the recent renewal of its license to operate tours to the
island nation. The Connecticut-based company had been among several tour
operators awaiting license renewals from OFAC, the Treasury Department's
Office of Foreign Assets Control, Tauck notes. 
Tauck's first departure
to Cuba under its renewed license will begin on October 6, 2013, with
additional trips scheduled throughout the remainder of the year.

Finally, with a two-year license renewal in hand, Insight Cuba, the tour
operator that is arguably responsible for getting the People-to-People
ball rolling, looks to the future regarding its partnership with General
Tours World Traveler for travel through 2015.

The longest running operator of legal people-to-people trips to Cuba,
Insight Cuba received an extended authorization from the OFAC. General
Tours will continue to make travel agent referrals to Insight Cuba for
its 150 published departures, presently scheduled through June 2014 with
new dates forthcoming.

Presenting some of the broadest array of tours in the market, clients
can choose from five signature itineraries. Departure dates and fares
through June 2014 have been published; those through 2015 will be
announced shortly. In addition to its five signature tours special group
arrangements are available, providing unique access to people and places
the average tourist rarely sees.

We may be a few years before all Americans can legally travel to Cuba,
People-to-People initiative or not, but we advise trying to get clients
there now. Once the embargo is lifted, the unspoiled glamour and charm
of Cuba from its classic 1950's American automobiles to miles and miles
of unobstructed beach views will all be gone.

Get there while it's still illegal for most, but legal for a few.
There's nothing more surreal than being in a place that most of your
fellow countrymen and women are forbidden to go to. Just make sure you
do it legally by contacting any of the credible operators we mentioned
in this story.

Source: www.travelagentcentral.com

Source: "ALERT FOR US TRAVEL AGENTS: Floodgates to Cuba are already open
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http://www.eturbonews.com/36491/alert-us-travel-agents-floodgates-cuba-are-already-open