Cuba Travel FAQ: What Trump's Policy Changes Really Mean

In one of the more consequential days for U.S. relations with Cuba over the last couple of years, President Donald J. Trump on Friday announced his plans on placing new restrictions on travel to the island nation. He reversed some of the changes that former President Barack Obama and Cuba implemented in 2016 — but not all. Among the elements rolled back the U.S. will prohibit Americans from undertaking individual people-to-people trips to Cuba, and restrictions will be placed on doing business with hotels and attractions run by elements of the Cuban government. It is still unclear whether all individual — as opposed to group — travel to Cuba will be banned, or whether just individuals traveling in the people-to-people category, which is one of 12 U.S.-approved categories, will be prohibited. It is a somewhat confusing situation given a lack of written guidelines on the new rules. So here is an FAQ on everything we know so far about how President Trump's new regulations will impact travel to Cuba for consumers and the travel industry. Why is this happening?  The Trump administration has busied itself with trying to dismantle numerous Obama administration accomplishments, ranging from environmental regulations to health care reform, and the U.S. detente with Cuba was on the Trump hit list. In a speech Friday, Trump said that putting financial pressure on the Cuban government is the only way to compel it to cease human rights abuses and institute democratic elections in coming years. Cuban President Raul Castro has previously announced he expects to step down from his role in 2018. The