Cuba & Costa Rica Blog
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Written by Cuba and Costa Rica expert Christopher P. Baker, this blog will update readers on life in these two diverse and exciting countries.
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Bill to lift travel restrictions to Cuba almost has enough votes to pass!
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On Sunday, September 13, I spoke as a panelist on Cuba at The Trade Show, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Fellow speakers included Bob Whitley, President of the U.S. Tour Operators Association; Lisa Simon, President of the National Tour Association; and Tony Martínez, foreign policy adviser to Gov. Bill Richardson.
Last Monday, Whitley and Simon got together in New York with Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA), co-chair of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus, to promote unrestricted travel to Cuba for U.S. citizens.
"We're here because there's a new wind blowing in America about lifting the travel ban on Cuba," said Farr, who claims that the House of Representatives is very close to having the 218 votes needed to pass the "Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act." As I type, it had garnered 181 supporters. He even claims that it even has enough votes to clear the Senate.
With plenty enough time left in the current session, hey... the bill may actually pass!
Meanwhile, last week ironically... the U.S. Treasury Dept. denied Whitley and Simon licenses to travel to Cuba, where they planned to meet with representatives of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Ministry of Tourism.
See my February 8, 2009 blog post for how to support the "Freedom to Travel to Cuba Bill."
And be sure to sign Orbitz.com's OpenCuba campaign!
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