WHAT U.S. TRAVELERS ARE DOING
IN CUBA
Despite legislative
restrictions, travel to Cuba by U.S. citizens is booming. Some 614,433 U.S. and
Cuban
American travelers visited
the island in 2016; in 2017 that number could exceed 700,000. If Congress
removed
all constraints on the rights
of U.S. citizens to freely travel to Cuba, the annual number of U.S. citizens
traveling
to the island is projected to
reach jump to the millions.
The increase in Cuba travel
is providing proven benefits to the U.S. economy: economic expansion and job
creation in airline, cruise,
lodging, telecom and travel services industries, amongst others. The presence
of U.S.
travelers and companies
provides much-needed economic and cultural connections at a critical moment in
Cuba.
Moreover, the American people
strongly support travel to Cuba, with polls showing that majorities of
Americans
and Cuban-Americans favor
lifting all restrictions on their right to travel to Cuba.
Through a series of executive
orders between 2009 and 2014, the U.S. government removed restrictions on
Cuban American travel and
liberalized purposeful travel for Americans of non-Cuban decent. A civil
aviation
agreement signed in early
2016 paved the way for the launch of direct commercial flights with American,
Delta,
JetBlue, Southwest and United,
amongst others, all offering service. The first U.S. cruise ship arrived in
Havana
in May 2016 and dozens of
voyages have occurred since. Airbnb launched its Cuba operations in April 2015
with
roughly 1,000 properties.
Inventory now exceeds 19,000 listings, making it the company’s fastest growing
market ever.
The influx of U.S. travelers
comes within the context of reform in Cuba. Changes by the Cuban government
have
increased access to the
internet, allowed Cubans to buy and sell homes, made it legal to start small
and mediumsized
businesses in some sectors
and removed restrictions on Cubans’ travel abroad. American companies and
American travelers have been
directly engaging with Cubans during this important moment of reform.
As the Trump Administration
conducts its Cuba policy review, it presumably will analyze the effects of U.S.
travel
within the context of the
stated policy objective to “engage and empower the Cuban people.” U.S.
travelers,
according to a just completed
professional evaluation, are clearly advancing that goal. Cuba Educational
Travel,
a leading travel service
provider to Cuba, hired Public Opinion Strategies, a respected public opinion
firm, to
conduct a survey of recent
American travelers to the island about their activities and experiences on the
island.
Key Survey Findings
U.S. travelers are supporting the Cuban
private sector, eating at private restaurants (paladares), hiring
private taxis, staying in
private b&bs and homestays (casas particulares) and purchasing goods from
private artists and artisans.
o 76% of the travelers stayed
in a privately-owned bed and breakfast for some or all of their
time on the island.
o 99% of the travelers ate at
a privately-owned restaurant (paladar).
o 86% of the travelers bought
art, crafts, or music from an independent artist.
o 85% of the travelers hired
a privately-owned taxi.
o 74% of the travelers
engaged in discussions with Cuban entrepreneurs.
Recent Cuba Traveler Survey –
April 13, 2017
U.S. travelers are economically supporting
state workers, who rely on tips to survive, and offering
generous support to Cuban
individuals and humanitarian projects. Furthermore, they are talking to
average Cubans about free
market economics at a moment of economic reform.
o 82% of the travelers tipped
a bellman, maid, or other employee of a state-run hotel during
their stay.
o 62% of the travelers spoke
with Cubans about pricing, supply, sourcing, and other market
elements.
o 49% of the travelers made a
monetary or material donation to a community program and/or
Cuban individual or family.
U.S. travelers are getting off the beaten
track and having genuine conversations with Cubans about
economic reform, technology
and religious freedom.
o 85% of travelers got into
the home of a Cuban individual or family.
o 84% of travelers spoke with
a Cuban about U.S. culture and American society.
o 70% of travelers spoke with
a Cuban about internet and technology.
o 42% of travelers spoke with
a Cuban about religion and/or religious freedom.
U.S. citizens that have actually traveled to
Cuba, experiencing the island firsthand and interacting with
Cubans of different walks of
like, overwhelming believe travel to Cuba provides great benefits to the
Cuban people.
o While just 14% of travelers
believe U.S. travel and business with Cuba benefits the government
more than the people.
o 86% of travelers believe
U.S. travel and business with Cuba benefits the Cuban people more
than the government.
Conclusion
The survey results are clear.
U.S. travelers are engaging directly with Cuban citizens, speaking to them
about
economics, internet,
technology and other key issues at a critical moment of transition on the
island. U.S.
travelers are empowering
Cuban entrepreneurs as important consumers of the products and services they
offer
in Cuba’s growing private
sector. The Trump Administration should maintain and expand upon the current
policy
regarding U.S. travel to
Cuba.
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