HAVANA: U.S. tourism to Cuba has increased by 36 percent since the two countries agreed to thaw diplomatic tensions last December. The number of U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba increased by 36 percent since the thaw in relations between the two countries in 2014. Visits were up 36 percent between January and May of 2015 compared to the previous year, with over 38,000 Americans visiting compared to about 29,000 in 2014, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. Nineteen U.S. airports are currently authorized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to serve flights to and from Cuba, although not all provide such service. Under the new travel regulations, both travel agents and airlines are able to provide services for travel to Cuba, without the need to obtain a specific license. However, the Department of Transportation is still working on a process to authorize full commercial service to Cuba. The U.S. still bans tourism to the island, just 90 miles off the coast of Florida, but it allows 12 categories of travel to the island, including family visits, business trips and cultural exchanges. Despite the ban, attorney Robert Muse, an expert on the legal aspects of Cuba travel, told AP “there’s been almost no active enforcement” of the tourism ban under the Obama administration. In addition to the increase in U.S. visitors, a total of 3,002,745 foreign tourists visited the country during 2014, representing a year-on-year growth of 5.3 percent. Canada led with a total of 1,175,077 visitors, and marking a 6.3 percent increase over the previous year.
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