Cuba Tourism One Year After Obama’s Announcement
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Getting to Cuba still presents challenges and traveling around Cuba remains difficult without a tour guide. Although these problems will take many years to resolve, 2016 promises more advancements and it's still an excellent time to visit the island.
One year after President Obama said the U.S. would reestablish diplomatic ties with Cuba and that travel to the country would soon be easier for many Americans, numerous obstacles blocking this reality remain in place despite what has seemed at times like a rapid pace of change.
Some are slowly toppling: government officials from both countries reached an agreement on Thursday to restore commercial flights between U.S. and Cuban cities, exactly one year after Obama's announcement.
The U.S. State Department said in a statement that "this arrangement will continue to allow charter operations and establish scheduled air service, which will facilitate an increase in authorized travel, enhance traveler choices, and promote people-to-people links between the two countries." Tourist travel to Cuba is still off limits for Americans and U.S. travelers seeking to visit must fit into one of a dozen categories outlined by the Obama Administration.
Though as the statement suggests, the b
