As some of you might know, our founder, Malia Everette, just returned from Cuba. She was reassured by Cuba’s quick cleanup and rebuilding of impacted infrastructure after Hurricane Irma. She was elated to visit family and friends, hear about their experiences, and know they are well.

With full candor we are happy to assure each of our travelers that Havana is ready to receive you, and tourism is afoot. In fact the day before Malia left, the Malecón opened back up and about 50% of the waterfront cafes and paladares (private restaurants) were open! Havana was largely spared from major damage. Additionally, electrical service was restored to 99% of the island within six days.

We were in Havana, Cuba to check on family, friends, and our team, and to participate in the RESPECT Conference, a gathering of over 150 organizations and travel service providers committed to ethical travel to Cuba. During the conference we learned of the Trump administration’s latest round of US policy changes towards Cuba. Then and there we created our collective response.

Here is a link to our RESPECT press release (it’s also the previous post in this blog):

https://www.facebook.com/Altruvistas/posts/1149233021844201

We were then briefed by Cuba’s Civil Defense, the Ministry of Tourism, UNEAC (the Cuban Union of Artists and Writers), ANAP (the Association of Small Farmers) and CITMA (the Ministry of the Environment and Technology to discuss future climate change). We were inspired by their disaster preparedness, and by their plans post-Irma.

Below is a short roundup of recent events governing the Trump Administration’s change of diplomatic positioning towards Cuba:

  1. The Trump Administration issued a State Department travel warning against Cuba because of the potential health impacts of hurricane recovery.
  2. The Trump Administration continues to accuse Cuba of mysterious “sonic attacks” (since last November). The FBI, during its research trips to Cuba, has found no evidence of such attacks. The Cuban government is—and has been—open to full collaboration. No names of impacted persons, nor the sharing of any medical files nor evidence, has been forthcoming.
  3. The Trump Administration used this claim to issue a State Department warning that US tourists should not come to Cuba because it is dangerous. As you may have read our from our RESPECT press release, over 500,000 Americans have visited so far this year, and not one of them has had any mysterious symptoms.
  4. The Trump Administration then withdrew 60% of staff at the US embassy in Havana, yet the embassy is still open and functioning for emergencies.
  5. The Trump Administration immediately suspended all visa application processes for Cubans wanting to visit the US. This is a devastating shift for Cuban families, professionals, artists, educators, and musicians! Then, the Trump administration notified the thousands of Cuban citizens who have already paid

    Hotel Nacional. Photo by Malia Everette

    their $160 USD fee to be interviewed for a visa that their appointments are cancelled, and that they will NOT be refunded. Again, many of the people these would-be-travelers want to visit are family members who are US citizens.
  6. The Trump Administration then expelled 16 Cuban embassy officials from Washington (notably, those entrusted with trade and economic matters).
  7. The Trump Administration released information that unnamed tourists had been also impacted and the State Department was investigating (again, no proof or real cases have come forth in the US or in Cuba).
  8. The Trump Administration issued a “Hotel Warning” against staying at the Hotel Nacional (where AltruVistas travelers were to stay!) and the property at the Capril. http://nypost.com/2017/10/06/state-department-tells-americans-to-avoid-pair-of-cuban-hotels/

Thus for upcoming groups with hotel bookings at the Hotel Nacional we are moving all reservations. This way we will avoid the fear and concern associated with the TRUMP announcement. We feel professionally it is vital to respond proactively. We want you to feel cared for during your stay, and psychologically comfortable.

AltruVistas wants to reiterate the following:

  1. It is completely legal for Americans to visit Cuba. Obama travel openings remain in effect after being slightly modified by Trump in June 2017. No persons visiting Cuba legally will be in “trouble” while Trump’s Cuba Travel Warning is in place.
  2. Your Cuban visa and all Cuban tourist visas are still valid and being honored.
  3. It is safe to travel to Cuba. As of September 2017, a half-million Americans visited Cuba, together with millions more from other countries. Not one guest has experienced any issues related to “hearing loss” or other health concern claims by the Trump administration. Of the many thousands of foreign guests in Cuba during Hurricane Irma, not one was injured. Cubans cleaned up after the hurricane in a matter of days. Cuba remains among the safest nations in the world for international guests. It remains absent of drug wars, terrorism, guns, gangs, kidnappings, and tropical pandemics.
  4. The US travel industry takes government travel warnings extremely seriously. It wants no harm to come to its guests. Nevertheless, all US airlines are still flying to Cuba. All US cruise ships continue to dock at Cuban ports. All US tour agencies are operating normally. Airbnb proceeds to offer private accommodations. All hotels remain open. Why? No American company involved in tourism to Cuba supports the travel warning because it lacks credibility and veracity. As mentioned, AltruVistas is a member of RESPECT ((Responsible Ethical Cuba Travel), the largest professional association of US Cuba tour operators and travel agencies. RESPECT rejects the travel warning and encourages Americans to continue to visit Cuba regardless.
  5. Barbara Stephenson, president of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), which represents 15,000 US diplomats around the world, said her members are against reduction in Havana Embassy staff and are prepared to continue their mission regardless of health concerns, real or perceived.
  6. No other country has issued a travel warning regarding Cuba. US sources claim some Canadian diplomats have also suffered health issues in Cuba, yet Canada has no Cuba warning in place for its people.
  7. Since the Obama travel openings millions of Americans have visited Cuba. They share their Cuba findings with family, friends and co-workers. The outcome has been that a significant majority of Americans favor an end to the US economic embargo of Cuba, normalized relations with Cuba, and most especially, freedom to travel to Cuba.

We won’t chime in on the exhaustive political motivations of this administration’s attempts to undermine President Obama’s advancements politically on multiple fronts…with Cuba, Iran, conservation in National Parks, ACA/health care, the Carbon Emissions rule…

We thank you for still traveling to Cuba. We thank our collaborative travelers for their support as they generously contribute to the livelihoods of Cuban families that rely upon tourism.