• Submitted by: admin
• United States
• Politics and Government
• 07 / 10 / 2010

A street scene in Old Havana, where old American cars are still hot. A campaign to open Cuba to American tourists is heating up, too.CAPTIONBy Jack Gruber, USA TODAYMaybe.

Vacationers interested in legally visiting Cuba are heartened by a Congressional committee's decision to send anti-embargo legislation forward.

The Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act, which made it out of the House of Representatives' Agriculture Committee last week, goes to House Democratic leadership, which will decide when and if it goes to the floor.

If approved in both House and Senate and signed by President Obama, the four-decade ban on American tourists visiting Cuba would end.

Some see Wednesday's announcement by Cuba that it will release some political prisoners as a move to encourage an end to the trade and tourism embargo.

Supporters of the controversial legislation include the United States Tour Operators Association and Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., who says that "now is the time to chart a new direction by normalizing our trade relationship with Cuba." Tourism will help do that, he says.

What do you think? Do you want to be able to legally visit Cuba or are you in favor of keeping things as they are?

If you want to know more about what Cuba is like, read my story from last year when I went in on a journalist visa.

Posted Jul 9 2010 10:30AM

By Kitty Bean Yancey, USA TODAY

Source: http://travel.usatoday.com/

WALTER LIPPMANN
Los Angeles, California
Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/