US travel industry has been quietly looking to expand into Cuba; plans could now accelerate

NEW YORK — Cuba was once a haven for sun-seeking American tourists. Beautiful beaches, lively casinos and late-night dancing made it the perfect getaway, only an hour's flight from Miami.

But the Cuban revolution led by Fidel Castro and the subsequent Cold War embargo of the communist island nation put an end to that.

President Barack Obama's announcement Wednesday of plans to re-establish diplomatic ties with the Caribbean nation doesn't mean that the island will suddenly open for tourism. It does, however, give hope to airlines, hotel chains and cruise companies — all which have been quietly eyeing a removal of the travel ban — that they soon will be able to bring tourists to Cuba.

"Cuba is the largest country in the Caribbean, so there's some exciting possibilities," Roger Frizzell, spokesman for Carnival Corp., said. "Some infrastructure for cruising already exists in the country, along with several ports, so it offers great potential, but there are other issues that will need to be taken into consideration if this market opens up."

A handful of international companies already operate in Cuba. For instance, Spanish hotel chain Melia has 26 properties on the island.

For years, U.S. airlines have been quietly dipping their toes in Cuba's warm waters.

While most Americans are prohibited from traveling to Cuba and spending money there, close relatives of Cubans, academics and people on accredited cultural education programs can visit. And there is a tiny, but robust business in transporting people to Cuba.

About 170,000 authorized travelers made the trip last year, according to the Department of Commerce.

American Airlines dominates many of the routes to Latin America with its hub in Miami. It's run charters to Cuba for more than 15 years, according to spokeswoman Martha Pantin. It now operates 12 to 14 weekly flights from Miami to Havana, Holguin, Santa Clara and Cienfuegos and from Tampa to Havana and Holguin.

JetBlue Airways started flying Cuba charters in September 2011. The first route was Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Havana. Other flights were added. Then at the end of 2013, JetBlue looked to Tampa for more flights between Florida and Cuba. The first was a flight to Havana, then one to Santa Clara.

It's a very small part of the airline's business; just four weekly flights on Airbus A320s with 50 to 80 customers. The planes typically seat 150 passengers. Besides pilots and flight attendants, JetBlue adds charter representatives and a mechanics to each Cuba flight.

"We're doing it because we want to exercise our muscles and understand how you operate into this country. What happens with parts, quarantine, crews," CEO David Barger told The Associated Press last year. "Just understanding what happens, if in fact there's a normalization."

Travel booking site Orbitz quickly jumped into the fray Wednesday, saying that the decision will hopefully pave the way for open travel between Cuba and the U.S. for both country's citizens.

"We look forward to the day — hopefully soon — when all Americans have the opportunity to travel to Cuba," CEO Barney Harford said in a statement. "There are numerous economic, social and cultural benefits that will flow from free and open access and our customers are eager to visit Cuba."

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