Clash intensifies over travel to Cuba
Clash intensifies over travel to Cuba
Would-be travelers balk at ban on pleasure trips
By William E. Gibson, Washington Bureau
10:33 a.m. EDT, July 13, 2014
WASHINGTON — Pressure from some Florida members of Congress is making it harder to travel to Cuba even as thousands of their constituents line up to fly to the forbidden island.
The stream of passengers from South Florida to Cuba has slowed slightly since 2011, as some would-be travelers balk at the cost of licensed educational tours and others remain stymied by a ban on casual pleasure trips.
Now some in Congress are trying to tighten those rules to further discourage travel to Cuba, except for Cuban-Americans visiting their families. At the same time, travel proponents are pressing President Barack Obama to use his executive powers to loosen the rules so that all Americans are free to roam the island on their own.
The long-simmering debate over Cuba travel has heated up as prominent politicians — including Hillary Clinton, a prospective presidential candidate, and Charlie Crist, a candidate for governor of Florida — have called for an end to the travel ban.
More:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/fl-broward-cuba-travel-restricted-20140712,0,2904438.story
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