• Submitted by: manso
• Politics and Government
• 08 / 31 / 2011

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By Melanie Nayer.August 30, 2011. Still hoping you'll be able to get to Cuba for a leisurely visit? Keep waiting.

News from luxury tour provider Abercrombie & Kent set a somber tone to the hopeful travel plans south of the border. After reviewing a government advisory clarifying new regulations for Cuba travel, A&K canceled its Cuba program for U.S. travelers.

Travel Weekly reported the advisory, issued on July 25 by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, acknowledged that some travel to Cuba regulations have expanded, but that “the amended regulations still contain significant travel restrictions.”

Here's the deal: According to OFAC, you're only getting a travel license to Cuba if you're part of a "people-to-people" group, which means you need to have a full-time schedule of "educational exchange activities between the travelers and Cubans.”

This rule diminishes any hopes of typical leisure travel, at least in the short term, so A&K thought it wise to cancel their intended program. The luxury travel provider had planned to offer six Cuba trips to Americans this year.

Readers: Would you go to Cuba if the U.S. relaxed travel regulations? This blog is not written or edited by Boston.com or the Boston Globe.The author is solely responsible for the content.

Source: www.boston.com/travel/explorene/blogs/packup/2011/08/luxury_leisure_tour...