Ban on U.S. cruise trips to Cuba will hurt private sector on the island, experts say

Featured Cuba cruise expert in the Miami Herald

The measures adopted by the Trump administration “will directly affect the Cuban people, especially in port communities outside Havana that no one talks about but which have improved with the arrival of the U.S. cruise ships,” said Cuban businessman Camilo Condis. “The self-employed sector today represents a little more than 12 percent of the working class, and we are the economic support of our families, in the majority of cases.”

“I'm devastated for the people in Havana,” said Greg Shapiro, who worked as a tour guide for Carnival’s Fathom line and was aboard the first U.S. cruise ship that arrived in Cuba in 2016. “Obviously the government is not perfect, but cruise passengers coming for the day injected much needed tourism into the economy, where high paying opportunities are scarce.”
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Although the Cuban government pocketed most of the income, the most popular land tours included private restaurants, farms and other businesses, said the source familiar with cruise ship visits to the island.