travel and trade
White House announces new travel and trade restrictions on Cuba
American citizens looking to travel to Cuba may rethink their vacation choice, thanks to a list of travel restrictions and sanctions announced Wednesday by the Trump administration. The blacklist will go into effect Thursday.
New restrictions mean that American tourists will need to primarily book a trip with organized tour groups in order to visit the country. U.S. government officials told The Associated Press that the restrictions aim to decrease American trade and commerce with businesses backed by the Cuban military. The list features 180 entities, including 83 hotels and 10 Havana boutiques.
"We have strengthened our Cuba policies to channel economic activity away from the Cuban military and to encourage the government to move toward greater political and economic freedom for the Cuban people," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement Wednesday.
The new restrictions represent a partial rollback of Obama-era policy changes, which loosened restrictions on trade and travel between the U.S. and Cuba. Although the new blacklist is designed to impact the Cuban military, the Trump administration has not commented on whether the restrictions are related to the "health attacks" that U.S. government officials experienced in the Havana embassy. Embassies in Havana and Washington will remain open, The Associated Press reported.
Read the full list of restrictions from the U.S. Department of State.