CubaGO! Lifting The U.S. Travel Ban To Cuba
If you are new to what has been happening in the United States as it pertains to lifting the travel ban on U.S. citizens to Cuba, then here is a brief rundown:
- Before the U.S. House of Representatives is bill H.R. 874
- Before the U.S. Senate is bill S. 428
- On 21 September 2009, a media announcement will be made regarding this legislation
- On 30 September 2009, the Latin America Working Group will launch “Cuba GO!” to encourage U.S. citizens to contact their congressional leaders to repeal the travel ban
[If you would like to review a robust list of resources regarding the effort to open Cuba to U.S. citizens, visit the Washington Office on Latin America's website, or read "Change In Our Interest: Travel, Trade And Improved Relations With Cuba"]
Now, when we set our sights on VolunTourism, we realize that individuals from other countries, as well as the U.S., have been able to travel to Cuba to support Cuban citizens through voluntary service efforts during the same period that the travel ban has been in place, some 50 years or so. This brings me to a number of questions:
- What impact will lifting the ban have on Cuban residents, in particular, as it pertains to humanitarian and environmental issues?
- What impact will lifting the travel ban have on the already existing stream of voluntourists traveling to Cuba from other countries and from the U.S., and how will this impact the VolunTourism Community overall?
- Given that lifting the travel ban will quite likely have a positive economic impact on U.S. businesses and agriculture, will these businesses include a corporate social responsibility strategy aimed at supporting the health and well-being of Cuban residents?
- Will U.S. citizens who have hesitated traveling as voluntourists to Cuba be likely to do so if the travel ban is lifted – - will they, for example, be able to afford the trip (it isn’t cheap)?
These are not easy questions to answer, in part, because there are a large number of unknowns. And there are additional questions to consider, ones not mentioned here.
The letters which have been written to support lifting the ban have come from a host of entities throughout the U.S. including the faith-based community, democratic-centric policy groups & human rights advocates, and the agriculture and travel sectors – just to name a few. I have spoken with colleagues and friends within and beyond U.S. borders on this, even those who have been to Cuba. The reaction is mixed. Here are three points that were brought up in these conversations:
- U.S. citizens should be able to travel wherever they want to and lifting the ban may alleviate their fears about traveling to Cuba as voluntourists
- Citizens of other countries may begin to bypass Cuba as a destination if they feel it will be “over-run” with “Americans” possibly creating a no-net gain economic impact or humanitarian benefit for Cuba
- There is only a certain amount of tourism infrastructure – hotel rooms, etc. – in Cuba; it is unlikely that Cuban officials will tell visitors from other countries not to come to Cuba so U.S. citizens can take their places
Thinking of ALL of the stakeholders involved in this scenario, I wonder what the Cuban people think of lifting the travel ban? It would also be good to hear from companies that currently interact with Cuba – hoteliers and other suppliers – and with voluntourism operators who serve Cuba. The time for discussion is upon us. If you would like to be part of a special webcast on this subject, please leave a comment or send in an email. We’ll try to put something together for 29 September 2009, 10am ET/14:00 GMT.
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