Photo by David Cogswell
The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) is fully onboard with President Barack Obama's big announcement this week, praising the administration's new regulations pertaining to American travel to Cuba on Thursday.
Expected to be published in the Federal Register on Friday, the Commerce and Treasury Departments' new regulations will allow travel agents to book authorized travel to Cuba without having to acquire a special license.
The travel to Cuba will be limited to a dozen existing categories, however, including family visits, U.S. government business, journalism, professional research and education or religious activities, among others.
"It is a long-standing policy at ASTA that travel freedoms should not be used as a pawn in matters of foreign policy," said ASTA President and CEO Zane Kerby in a statement.
"On behalf of our U.S.-based members, we have conveyed this sentiment to the President and current and former administration officials over the past several years, and we applaud their efforts to break down these barriers once and for all," he added.
ASTA's release also states that the organization recently reached out to the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence's Adam Szubin requesting that qualifying Americans be allowed to travel to Cuba through a travel agent without the requirement of a specific license.
That's what appears will happen when the Office of Foreign Asset Control amends section 515.572, thus permitting travel agents and airlines to provide authorized travel services without a license.
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