Trump’s Cuba Policy Draws Mixed Reactions From Travel Companies And Other Businesses

According to latest reports, President Donald Trump will be following through with one of his campaign promises and overturn former President Barack Obama’s accord with Cuba on Friday, largely restricting tourist travel to the island nation.

The reason behind the Trump administration doing so is to prohibit trade transactions from the United States that could benefit the government of Cuban President Raúl Castro financially, until the latter agrees to mend its repressive ways.

The main authors of the new policy were Cuban-American Republicans in Congress, including Florida Sens. Marco Rubio and Mario Diaz-Balart, both of whom wanted stiffer sanctions on the Castro government. The Trump administration are likely to cite Obama’s failed appeasement policy toward Cuba as a reason for ending the two-year-old approach of engagement, followed by the former president’s government.

“My administration’s policy will be guided by key U.S. national security interests and solidarity with the Cuban people,” the draft of the five-point, eight-page Presidential Policy Directive reads, Politico reported. “I will seek to promote a stable, prosperous, and free country for the Cuban people. To that end, we must ensure that U.S. funds are not channeled to a regime that has failed to meet the most basic requirements of a free and just society.”

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The changes will make it difficult for U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba or continue doing business there. The Cuban population might be the worst hit as tourism is one of the major industries of the island and is the source of livelihood for many people, the New York Times reported.

However, Trump’s Cuba policy is not being seen as a blanket travel ban by the transport companies. People would still be able to move to and from the island nation but with significantly increased scrutiny.

Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest travel leisure company, stated although Trump’s revised policy means it would have to review the "extent of the tightening of the travel rules that could potentially affect our guests,” it would continue to send cruises to Cuba, CNBC reported. “Travel brings people and cultures together, so we are excited about the upcoming cruises to Cuba for our guests," Carnival Corporation added.

On the other hand, airlines such as JetBlue have refrained from commenting in detail on the policy until they have a chance to fully review it after Trump releases a revised policy, Friday. However, the airline, which has flights flying from New York, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, to Havana, Cuba, stated that it, intends to comply with the rules set in place by the government.

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Another airline, Southwest, which transports travelers from Tampa and Fort Lauderdale to Havana, also commented it would "continue to seek opportunities to offer unique value and hospitality," without going into much detail, ahead of Trump’s announcement.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, two of the major flight companies of the United States, declined to comment before the president announces the details of the policy.

Marriot International, an American multinational diversified hospitality company, who has a hotel set up in Cuba and is on its way to building another, showed major concerns over Trump’s decision to restrict travel to the island country. It urged the president to reconsider its stance on Cuba.

"We are at an important moment in the relationship between the United States and Cuba," Marriott said in a statement, according to the CNBC report.

"Travel between our two countries continues to increase and strengthen an evolving bilateral relationship. It would be exceedingly disappointing to see the progress that has been made in the last two years halted and reversed by the Administration."