i have a suspicion that when the "Trump doctrine on Cuba" is fully published it will make no more sense than it does right now...so for all my fellow US citizens buckle up and expect stress associated with going to Cuba. I was reading a blog by a travel writer who spends time in Cuba and is knowledgable on the tourist infrastructure and already apartment owners are getting emails from US clients who have booked for next winter concerned about getting out of their reservations as they don't know what will happen and they have money to lose. Cuba was poised to have an even better year next year with many of us returning and telling others about it and how easy it was etc. and now whether is is really different or not the perception is that it is "forbidden" again.
" So how do the cruises take the large groups of passengers (700+ per ship) on tours if all the nice Chinese air conditioned buses are owned by the Cuban government? "
The Cuban Military although controlled/run by the Cuban Government are still two different entities.
So who/what is Gaviota? Isn't that the tourism 'branch' that US travelers won't be able to patronize?
Is it that entity who owns/runs the tour buses that cruise lines use for passengers?
so googling them they are a touristic group with hotels mostly the all inclusive that really Americans are not going to cuba for but does include Sheraton Four Points and now the new Kempinski. I suspect most clients at Kempinski will be from Europe but some of the big spenders from US that hang out at the Saratoga would probably want to try that out...but not now. I also expect Sheraton to unload the four points property as soon as they can. They did have plans to remodel some other hotels but pulled out of those.
however I have to wonder with the new "rules" if many that were apprehensive before will just opt out...
Cuba's infrastructure can't handle the tourists it has now so I don't think that's a bad thing.
Cheers,
Terry
so googling them....
it says :
" A professional team of experienced guides rounds out our successful offers that include: Excursions, Accommodation, Reservations, Restaurants, Nightclubs, Customized welcome at airports; taking care of conventional, special or incentive groups; representation of tour operators at the Cuba Chamber of Commerce; Tourist Assistance with Specialized Personnel; Guides’ Individual Services; Transfer, Tours Programs Organization at request and Car Rental."
So again, who owns the buses currently used for big tour groups?
well just goes to show how incredibly stupid this entire thing is all for the the purpose of "saying" you kept your campaign promise....word is DJT has people working on his re-election campaign right now getting ready. Just traveled internationally and honestly I am so embarrassed by this guy...we look like fools here and I don't know one person that is supporting anything DJT does. And "little Marco" needs to be voted off the planet!
I was in Cuba during Trump's inauguration. On the way back, some older women from Boston were commenting how horrible they felt to get off the plane with Trump as President. They seemed to be implying that they would prefer Raul Castro as their President.
[Sarc] Do you feel the same way? I guess Fidel knew what he was talking about when he called the Miami crowd "gusanos". Some people are so ungrateful. Fidel has shown us the way to social justice if we would only follow! I hope our next President hires PCC leaders to transform America in a manner similarly to the manner they selflessly advised Nicolas Maduro down in Venezuela [/Sarc]
It seems that there still needs to be more work done by the legislature before theses restrictions become real life.
Not the legislature as such, but the government departments.
If it's only Cubanacan and Gaviota Hotels it will be more workable.
If it is Cubanacan, then it will be the whole of the Ministry of Tourism (i.e. Gran Caribe and Islazul, too).
I think he will try to stop it upfront..
Making it harder for Airlines to accept passengers to Cuba
That is not what he announced in Miami. I find it hard to believe that he will go further that what he said there.
The Cuban Military although controlled/run by the Cuban Government are still two different entities.
But the Marco Rubio argument is the reverse - that much of the Cuban government (including the Ministry of Tourism) is controlled by the military.
who owns the buses currently used for big tour groups?
The ones with "TRANSTUR" in large letters on the side belong to Transtur, which is part of the Ministry of Transport.
From the Miami Herald:
Cuba watchers also point to a section of Trump’s memorandum that instructs the State Department to identify “entities or sub-entities” under the control or acting on behalf of the Cuban “military, intelligence or security services or personnel” and publish a list of those with which “direct financial transactions” would disproportionately benefit them “at the expense of the Cuban people or private enterprise in Cuba.”
Some analysts have zeroed in on the word direct in the memorandum. Previous OFAC directives usually refer to direct and indirect financial transactions.
“Does this mean you can’t go and book at a Gaviota hotel, but you can give a Spanish tour company money and they can get you a room at the Saratoga?” Muse asked. (The Hotel Saratoga is operated under the umbrella of Habaguanex, which was recently transferred to the military.)
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article157721249.html
Terry #5 has the definitive response to the overly dissected question. No more need be said.
Trap
Most Americans are law abiding and if the new rules are perceived as breaking the rules,which is the perception the US government has always tried to project in regards to Cuba travel,Americans for the most part will not break the rules and won't go through the perceived hassle of travel to Cuba when you can go to other places in the Caribbean without putting any thought into it and avoid what you may consider breaking rules.Thats the way it was before.
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