The rapid development in seat capacity between the US and Cuba following an Obama-led revival in relations has gone into reverse according to travel retail analyst, research and category expert Counter Intelligence Retail – and Donald Trump’s latest policy intervention is not going to help. High hopes of US duty free and travel retailers expecting […]
Cuba
Norwegian Cruises and Royal Caribbean get permission to sail to Cuba from the US
Norwegian and Royal Caribbean Cruises have received approval from the Cuban government to start sailing from the US to Cuba. Carnival Corp. has been sailing to Cuba under its Fathom brand since May. Switzerland-based MSC Cruises also sails to and from Havana with its MSC Opera, but does not market to Americans. Norwegian’s Marina, part of its […]
The 20 year saga of Carnival’s quest to cruise to Cuba
Carnival Corporation & plc made history on March 21, 2016 when it announced that the Cuban government had granted approval for the company to begin travel to Cuba. On May 1, Carnival’s newest cruise brand, Fathom, began seven-day cruises every other week from Miami to Cuba onboard the 704-passenger MV Adonia, visiting the historic […]
Top Cuban diplomat in US urges patience in doing business with Havana
By Larry Luxner WASHINGTON — The United States has “moved beyond” the debate over whether it’s time to improve relations with Cuba. With diplomatic ties already a fact of life, the urgency now is deepening that relationship through economic and cultural exchange — and ending the trade embargo that has defined U.S. policy toward […]
Six U.S. airlines are now cleared for takeoff to Cuba
On June 10, the U.S. Department of Transportation approved six airlines to offer flights between the U.S. and Cuba: American Airlines , Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways , Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines. The flights could be available as early as this fall, and will be departing from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. The flights have […]
Starwood first U.S. company to sign landmark deal for hotels in Havana
Starwood Hotels and Resorts has become the first American hotel company to enter the Cuba market for more than half a century. The chain has signed deals to manage two prestigious hotels in Havana and signed a letter of intent to operate a third. Starwood received special permission to proceed with the deal from the […]
U.S. eases more travel and financial restrictions against Cuba
On Wednesday, March 15, just days before President Barack Obama made his historic visit to Cuba, the U.S. Treasury Department announced a further easing of restrictions brought on by the 54-year-old economic embargo against Cuba. The new regulations make it easier for Americans to travel to the island, most notably allowing individuals to travel to […]
Cuba approves Carnival Corp. bid to sail from U.S. to Cuba
Carnival Corporation & plc today (March 21, 2016) made history, announcing that Cuba has granted approval for the company to begin travel to Cuba starting on May 1, 2016. Following U.S. authorization granted in July 2015, Carnival Corporation is now cleared to operate the 704-passenger MV Adonia to Cuba through its newest brand Fathom. This […]
Agreement signed to resume Commercial flights between Cuba, US
The United States and Cuba have reached an agreement to resume commercial air travel between the two countries for the first time in more than half a century, the State Department announced Thursday. “On December 16, the United States and Cuba reached a bilateral arrangement to establish scheduled air services between the two countries,” the […]
LAX inaugurates first charter California to Cuba flight since easing of rules
Los Angeles International Airport and American Airlines celebrated the inaugural charter flight from the West Coast to Havana last Saturday, Dec. 12. The high profile flight took off from LAX Terminal 4, following a gala ribbon cutting that included Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti; Deborah Flint, Executive Director, LAX; Juan Carlos Liscano, Managing Director, LAX, […]
Cuba travel quickly ramps up as U.S. airlines, cruise ship companies plot new routes
By Larry Luxner On Sept. 30, a mostly empty Boeing 737 lifted off from Baltimore-Washington International Airport bound for Havana — ushering in the first regularly scheduled air service between the U.S. and Cuban capitals since the two nations broke diplomatic ties more than half a century earlier. The flight, arranged by Tampa-based Island […]
Cuba opens first embassy in US in 54 years
Monday morning, July 20, at precisely 10:36, Cuba’s tricolor flag rose over its century-old mission in Washington, DC. The event triggered spontaneous outbursts of both joy and anger as supporters and opponents of the Castro regime confronted each other behind police barricades across Sixteenth Street. TMI correspondent Larry Luxner was on the scene to chronicle […]
Carnival gets U.S. permission to sail to Cuba
One of the biggest stories of last week was the announcement that Carnival Corp. has been granted approval by the U.S. Department of Commerce to begin direct travel to Cuba. Carnival says that the plan calls for it to start sailing from PortMiami to Cuba in May 2016 on its new Fathom line, which will […]
Will 2015 be the year Americans are finally free to visit Cuba?
By Larry Luxner Daily flights from Atlanta to Varadero. Overnight Miami-Havana ferry service. A Starbucks outlet at José Martí International Airport, and a Habanos duty free cigar shop at JFK. It sounds too good to be true. Yet within a few years, could all these things be ubiquitious, given President Obama’s ambitious plans to resume […]
Travel execs react cautiously to Obama’s surprise opening of Cuba
By Larry Luxner: A Travel Markets Insider Special Report Havana panarama First, the good news: if you’re a U.S. citizen who’s already licensed to travel to Cuba, you may now come back to the United States with $400 worth of Cuban goods, including $100 worth of duty free rum and cigars. The bad news: it […]