Carnival: Yanqui Si, Cuba No?
Carnival will allow Cuban-Americans to travel to Cuba on an inaugural
cruise but Cuba may not allow the journey
By SPENCER JAKAB
Apr 18, 2016 1:16 pm ET
The U.S. Cuba love-fest seemed to be going swimmingly last month when
President Obama visited the island nation. U.S. companies involved in
tourism such as Starwood were among the first to jump on the bandwagon
given the popularity of the island before ties were severed. And that
was before cheap jet travel and, of course, cruise ships catering to the
mass market.
But Carnival Corp, the world's largest cruise line, didn't anticipate an
odd Cuban law when it announced an inaugural cruise for May 1:
Cuban-born U.S. citizens are sometimes allowed to fly to the communist
nation but not to arrive by sea. Indignant Cuban-Americans initially
weren't accepted as passengers, prompting an outcry, lawsuits, and even
comments by Secretary of State John Kerry.
A good public-relations exercise turned into a nightmare for Carnival,
so it changed tack on Monday. It said it would accept bookings from
Cuban-Americans, putting the onus on Cuba to change the law in the next
two weeks. This ship hasn't sailed, but will it?
Source: Carnival: Yanqui Si, Cuba No? - MoneyBeat - WSJ -
http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2016/04/18/carnival-yanqui-si-cuba-no/
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