The Obama administration continues to relax travel restrictions to Cuba with the recent announcement that U.S. citizens can arrange to visit Cuba on “people-to-people” educational trips without the use of an authorized travel group. General tourism is still against the law and travel records are still required to be kept.
The changes took effect on Wednesday, March 16, and also included a loosening of restrictions on Cuban nationals looking to get jobs in the U.S. or open U.S. bank accounts—though this appears to be more related to “high-profile” Cuban nationals, such as athletes or entertainers.
“Today’s amendments build upon President Obama’s historic actions to improve our country's relationship with Cuba and its people,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. “These steps not only expand opportunities for economic engagement between the Cuban people and the American business community, but will also improve the lives of millions of Cuba’s citizens.”
President Obama is scheduled to travel to Cuba over the weekend, where he will be joined by Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson. Marriott and Starwood recently expressed interest in opening hotels in Cuba.
More details on the most recent Cuba amendments are available here:
https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0379.aspx
