The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) joined
the chorus of industry critics denouncing Trump's Cuba policy, saying that the
re-imposed restrictions could stall or reverse the progress made in recent
years.
The Trump administration has banned individual people-to-people travel to Cuba, only allowing such visits with licensed groups.
"If restrictions are indeed reimposed, CHTA expects
adverse effects for U.S. businesses -- not only for import-export companies but
also for the U.S.-based travel businesses that have made considerable
investments in Cuba since normalization began -- and lost opportunities for
those U.S. companies considering doing business there," CHTA said in a
statement.
CHTA pointed to the growth of the hospitality industry in
Cuba, which has outpaced the rest of the region. "Major global hotel
chains from outside the U.S. have been investing in Cuba and today manage tens
of thousands of rooms. As latecomers, U.S. firms already are at a competitive
disadvantage in Cuba."
CHTA continues to support the ending of the embargo and
urged that new regulations continue to encourage small and medium enterprise
opportunities, both Cuban and U.S.-sourced.