Things looking up for travel between the U.S. and Cuba
2010-05-20
In what can be considered a potential victory for Americans hoping to travel to Cuba in the future, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has officially approved 42 new travel and other service providers for the Caribbean nation - a substantial improvement over the zero that had been approved in the previous year.
The moves are being celebrated as a sign that the Obama administration may be entertaining the idea of lifting the long-standing embargo levied by the U.S. against the communist country. OFAC has also updated its list of authorized providers of air travel and remittance forwarding services to Cuba a remarkable four times this year, more than the last two years combined.
Travel providers are excited about the new venture, as expanding into the Cuban market offers up a wealth of opportunities for aggressive business expansion.
"Not only is this good for people who have been waiting for years to open their businesses, but it allows the U.S. government to address more pressing matters that affect the entire nation,'' Vivian Mannerud, president of the Miami-based Airline Brokers, told the Miami Herald.
Earlier in the year, President Obama lifted travel restrictions on families of Cuban descent fueling the belief that the embargo may be lifted entirely in the coming years.