Travel to Cuba guidelines updated by U.S. government officials

Travel to Cuba guidelines being relaxed

Travel to Cuba has been restricted by the U.S. government since it imposed a trade embargo. Under longstanding rules, travel to the Caribbean country is not permitted for most Americans, with certain exemptions.

Those guidelines on travel to Cuba have just been revamped by the U.S. Treasury Department to increase the amount of money Americans could send to Cuba (up to $2,000 per year or $500 per quarter) to spur private economic activity. Previously, the limit was $300 per quarter.

Also allowed to travel are educational and religious groups who will attend some events. Some journalism-related travel is also considered. The Bush administration had suspended this provision years ago. Restoring this exemption would mean more Americans will be able to go on tours and enroll in study programs in Cuba.

The White House said the restrictions on travel to Cuba were relaxed in order to support civil society in the country and drive a wedge between the Communist regime of Fidel and Raul Castro and the Cuban people.

However, critics of the new rules, some of them members of the Cuban exile community in the U.S., said that the new guidelines just serve to support the faltering regime, who has been struggling to run the economy for decades.

Also part of the changes is the increase of the number of airports permitted to offer charter air service travel to Cuba.

The new guidelines was released by the Treasury Department three months after President Barack Obama said he would loosen restrictions on travel to Cuba.

Posted by Sophia Andrews on Friday April 22 2011, 2:54 AM EST. Ref: Miami Herald. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Travel. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0