With the announcement of new regulations earlier this month we have received many questions and concerns, but happily we can report that our tours are completely unaffected by the changes. We have not used the category of "People to People" travel since 2017 when our government heavily restricted this avenue for visits to Cuba. Since that time, we have used the category of "Support for the Cuban People" which is not being restricted with the new changes. Commercial airline flights continue to operate unchanged and our Visa category and business license remain the same as well.
If you visit the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Asset Controls website: https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/programs/pages/cuba.aspx
And click the top link for Frequently Asked Questions on Changes to the Cuba Sanctions Program as of June 4, 2019. You can read all of the changes that are new for June. The sections directly related to travel to Cuba are Section 5: Where the 12 currently usable categories are listed, including the unchanged "Support for the Cuban People" which we will continue to use for our guests. In addition, in Section 20, the document explores what Support for the Cuban People travel entails, which mirrors how all of our tours are operated. Finally, in Section 39, the article shows that our General license allows us to continue to operate tours with our guests in Cuba as long as they follow our full-time itineraries with the intention of making positive capitalistic change for the Cuban People:
" A general license authorizes persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction, including travel agents and tour group operators, to provide travel services in connection with authorized travel without the need for specific licenses from OFAC."
With all of that being said, we're excited to see you in Cuba! We will happily answer any other questions you may have so please reach out to us at Eli@yourcubatravel.com or Jordan@yourcubatravel.com at any time.