Legislation to end all restrictions on travel by Americans and on bookings by US agents
"the President shall not regulate or prohibit, directly or indirectly, travel to or from Cuba by United States citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions incident to such travel"
HR 654 submitted by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) with Representative Jeff Flake (R-AZ) with 76 cosponsors
S 721 submitted by Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) with Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and eight cosponsors
To see text, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/ Insert bill number in box. Choose "Bill Number" button, click "Search"
For list of cosponsonsors, to date:
http://www.lawg.org/countries/cuba/co-sponsors_hr654.htm
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To see positions of Presidential candidates
http://candidatecubawatch.blogspot.com/
To see sign-on statement in support of travel legislation:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Cubatravelbill/
To see sign-on travel industry statement on legislation: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/travelcuba/
To receive update postings on the status of legislation and Congressional action:
http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/LAWG/signUp.jsp?key=427
To receive a weekly summary of news about US relations with Cuba:
http://www.cubacentral.com/joinus.cfm
To see recent news stories on U.S. Cuba relations:
http://uscubanormalization.blogspot.com/
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
TINC Membership Form
[Please copy and paste this form either in an e-mail to cubatravel@earthlink.net or in a Word document sent as an attachment or by mail to Fund for Reconciliation and Development, 145 Palisade Street, Suite 401, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522]
I support ending all US restrictions on travel to Cuba and wish to be a member of the Travel Industry Network on Cuba.
Name _____________________________
Title/position _______________________
Business or organization
_________________________________
Address __________________________
__________________Zip _____
Phone ___________ e-mail ___________
Name of your Representative in Congress
________________________________
Relationship to travel industry:
___ agent ___ tour operator ___ educator
___ other _____________
Membership contribution ___ $25 ___ $ 50
__ other $ ____
Contributions my be made by check to Fund for Reconciliation and Development/TINC or on line here.
I support ending all US restrictions on travel to Cuba and wish to be a member of the Travel Industry Network on Cuba.
Name _____________________________
Title/position _______________________
Business or organization
_________________________________
Address __________________________
__________________Zip _____
Phone ___________ e-mail ___________
Name of your Representative in Congress
________________________________
Relationship to travel industry:
___ agent ___ tour operator ___ educator
___ other _____________
Membership contribution ___ $25 ___ $ 50
__ other $ ____
Contributions my be made by check to Fund for Reconciliation and Development/TINC or on line here.
TICC--a work in progress
The Travel Industry Committee on Cuba (TICC) invites travel agents and their allies to join together in a nationwide campaign to restore the right of Americans to visit Cuba and of US agencies to book transportation and accomodations.
We were launched at the last ASTA confenence in Montreal in 2005 and at the Trade Show in Orlando in 2006 through the medium of booths and receptions.
Our relevance to the travel industry has increased because the mid-term elections provide a real opportunity for the first time to legislatively remedy the virtually total bar on travel that has been imposed by the Bush Administration.
The potential benefit to agents of Cuba becoming a legal destination is self-evident, especially after the AP-Ipsos poll documented that 18 percent of Americans would be “very interested” and 22 percent “somewhat interested” in going there on vacation. The problem has been to convince busy travel professionals that Congress can take up the issue in 2007 and have the political will to overcome the threat of a veto.
The first hundle has been met as leading Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate are crafting legislation and a strategy for passage. No doubt opposition to change will be strongly expressed by the Administration as well as by Cuban-American Representatives and Senators. While they speak for a declining minority opinion in their own community, political and economic power is still concentrated in the hands of the old guard.
Pressing for reform will be many organizations reflecting the interests of Cuban-American families separated by inhumane restrictions and of not-for-profit groups who previously could undertake licensed travel. (See http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Cubatravelbill/ )
Missing from the equation so far is the broad public that by a two to one margin supports normaliation of relations. Travel agents have the opportunity to authentically represent not only their own legitimate economic interest in travel, but also the sentiments of their clients and friends who simply want to visit the most sophisticated of Caribbean neighbors, made all the more alluring by nearly fifty years of artificial separation.
Conventional tourism, including cruise stops, will only be possible if there is strong grass roots support to end all restrictions, as stipulated in Rangel's HR 654. Other more cautious pieces of legislation are already citculating that will only address specific sectors of travel, most notably family reunions.
This blog site is open to comments and suggestions from all those who wish to see travel restrictions completely ended. Following are several questions, but do not feel limited to the points they raise.
1) How do you feel the travel sector can make its weight felt most effectively?
2) Will individual agents and local companies reach out to Representatives and Senators so they understand their own constituents support travel to Cuba?
3) Can ASTA chapters and regions and other professional associations be asked to include in meeting agendas a discussion of the potential of Cuba for their business and the status of legislation in Congress?
4) Are funds available to make TICC a real force, e.g. to pay for staff, mailings, and advertisements in trade publications?
We are also wondering how TICC can help US travel professionals to quickly and productively engage with Cuba after restrictions are ended.
1) Can the Cuba course produced by ASTA several years ago be more widely utilized and updated?
2) Will agents who gained experience as Travel Service Providers establish dialog or partnership with colleagues/competitors new to the destination?
3) Shall we organize a meeting in a third country for TICC members, travel professionals from Cuba, and Europeans and Canadians who manage joint ventures that contribute to the tourism infrastructure?
4) Should TICC arrange with Cuban tourism officials and joint venture operators a fam trip/orientation/certification process for its members that can take place as soon as restrictions are ended?
If you would like to join TICC, please complete the form in the accompanying post and return it at your earliest convenience.
We were launched at the last ASTA confenence in Montreal in 2005 and at the Trade Show in Orlando in 2006 through the medium of booths and receptions.
Our relevance to the travel industry has increased because the mid-term elections provide a real opportunity for the first time to legislatively remedy the virtually total bar on travel that has been imposed by the Bush Administration.
The potential benefit to agents of Cuba becoming a legal destination is self-evident, especially after the AP-Ipsos poll documented that 18 percent of Americans would be “very interested” and 22 percent “somewhat interested” in going there on vacation. The problem has been to convince busy travel professionals that Congress can take up the issue in 2007 and have the political will to overcome the threat of a veto.
The first hundle has been met as leading Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate are crafting legislation and a strategy for passage. No doubt opposition to change will be strongly expressed by the Administration as well as by Cuban-American Representatives and Senators. While they speak for a declining minority opinion in their own community, political and economic power is still concentrated in the hands of the old guard.
Pressing for reform will be many organizations reflecting the interests of Cuban-American families separated by inhumane restrictions and of not-for-profit groups who previously could undertake licensed travel. (See http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Cubatravelbill/ )
Missing from the equation so far is the broad public that by a two to one margin supports normaliation of relations. Travel agents have the opportunity to authentically represent not only their own legitimate economic interest in travel, but also the sentiments of their clients and friends who simply want to visit the most sophisticated of Caribbean neighbors, made all the more alluring by nearly fifty years of artificial separation.
Conventional tourism, including cruise stops, will only be possible if there is strong grass roots support to end all restrictions, as stipulated in Rangel's HR 654. Other more cautious pieces of legislation are already citculating that will only address specific sectors of travel, most notably family reunions.
This blog site is open to comments and suggestions from all those who wish to see travel restrictions completely ended. Following are several questions, but do not feel limited to the points they raise.
1) How do you feel the travel sector can make its weight felt most effectively?
2) Will individual agents and local companies reach out to Representatives and Senators so they understand their own constituents support travel to Cuba?
3) Can ASTA chapters and regions and other professional associations be asked to include in meeting agendas a discussion of the potential of Cuba for their business and the status of legislation in Congress?
4) Are funds available to make TICC a real force, e.g. to pay for staff, mailings, and advertisements in trade publications?
We are also wondering how TICC can help US travel professionals to quickly and productively engage with Cuba after restrictions are ended.
1) Can the Cuba course produced by ASTA several years ago be more widely utilized and updated?
2) Will agents who gained experience as Travel Service Providers establish dialog or partnership with colleagues/competitors new to the destination?
3) Shall we organize a meeting in a third country for TICC members, travel professionals from Cuba, and Europeans and Canadians who manage joint ventures that contribute to the tourism infrastructure?
4) Should TICC arrange with Cuban tourism officials and joint venture operators a fam trip/orientation/certification process for its members that can take place as soon as restrictions are ended?
If you would like to join TICC, please complete the form in the accompanying post and return it at your earliest convenience.
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