Washington, June 6, 2019. The Center for Responsible Tourism (CREST) expressed its concern about the impact that the new travel restrictions applied from today by the US government may have on the Cuban people.
CREST's executive director, Martha Honey, stated that the news about ending group educational visits of people-to-people contact is a devastating blow for millions of Cubans, as well as for US travel companies, airlines and cruise lines'.
It will also have far-reaching effects on relations between the United States and Cuba, as these educational exchanges are essential to create meaningful connections and foster understanding between American and Cuban travelers, Honey stressed.
CREST's leader recalled that at present US citizens are the second largest group that visits Cuba after the Canadians.
'This important policy change, which prevents many Americans from going to the island, will make life much more difficult for the average Cuban and will be profoundly felt by the growing Cuban private sector, the same entrepreneurs to whom the Government of Donald Trump claims to support,', he said.
The State, Commerce and Treasury Departments reported yesterday that since Wednesday the administration has banned group educational trips 'people to people' recognized as the most used by US citizens to go to Cuba.
Likewise, an end to what became the fastest-expanding travel route to visit the Caribbean: the cruise routes, since in the future 'private and corporate planes, cruises, sailboats, fishing boats and other aircraft and similar boats' will not be able to go to Cuba
Such actions are included in the long list of measures adopted by the Trump administration as part of its growing hostility towards Cuba, denounced by different voices as an attempt to favor a small number of Cuban-US legislators to the detriment of the people of both nations.
Source: Prensa Latina