A Cuba cruise ships ban has been put forth this year by the Trump administration, affecting U.S. travelers seeking to go on vacation along the shores of the Caribbean nation.
The move was enacted on Tuesday, ending one of the most popular ways to travel from the U.S. to Cuba as cruise ships are being banned. Here are seven things to know about it:
- This was a form of educational travel that helped bring in plenty of funds to the island country, and the move is being seen as a way to halt the cash flow moving into the nation’s communist government.
- Travel by cruise from the U.S. to Cuba first kicked off in May 2016 as then POTUS Barack Obama made moves to improve U.S. relations with the island.
- The decision was a popular one as Cuba cruises became the most common way for U.S. travelers to reach the island.
- The form of travel brought over roughly 142,721 people in the first four months of the year, which marked an increase of more than 300% when compared to the year-ago quarter.
- It was a simple operation that allowed tourists a simple, one-stop way to travel in a legal manner.
- The decision to end this form of travel is slated to affect roughly 800,000 cruise passenger bookings, according to cruise industry group Cruise Lines International Association.
- “Cruise ships as well as recreational and pleasure vessels are prohibited from departing the U.S. on temporary sojourn to Cuba effective (Wednesday),” the Commerce Department told The Associated Press.