President Donald Trump will tighten travel restrictions for
Americans visiting Cuba when he lays out his Cuba policy in a speech Friday in
Miami, the Miami Herald and Politico reported Thursday.
Both publications said they had obtained a draft of Trump's
eight-page directive.
The Treasury Department will begin auditing trips to Cuba to
make sure they legitimately fall under one of 12 exemptions to the Cuba travel
embargo that were put in place by the Obama administration -- a significant
uptick in enforcement from the current practice, in which travelers are trusted
to report the purpose of their trip.
In another reversal of Obama policy that is likely to
strongly impact the travel industry, there will be a clampdown on people-to-people
trips. People-to-people is the exemption category that tour operators and
cruise ships typically use on Cuba itineraries.
The Trump directive would require a full-time schedule of
activities that "enhance contact with the Cuban people," Politico
reported. Educational groups would again have to be guided by a sponsoring U.S.
organization, the Miami Herald said.
Trump will continue to allow commercial air service and
cruises to Cuba. But finding accommodations on the island will become more
difficult since the directive bans most business transactions with the Cuban
military, which owns the lion's share of Cuban tourism infrastructure,
including hotels.
In a statement, Marriott International CEO Arne Sorenson said a reversal of "progress" in Cuba would be "exceedingly disappointing."
"We
have invested significant resources establishing a presence in Cuba, and with
one hotel open and another in the pipeline we have just begun our work creating
opportunity and a more vibrant tourism sector on the island," Sorenson said.
On Tuesday, secretary of state Rex Tillerson said that the
Trump administration would toughen rules on doing business with Cuba since the
Castro regime has not improved its human rights record under Obama's rapprochement
policy.
Under the Trump directive, the U.S. would maintain its embassy
in Cuba, the Herald and Politico reported.