Following President Trump's decision on Friday to end
individual people-to-people travel to Cuba, InsightCuba's web traffic increased
and call centers were "backlogged," said Tom Popper, president of the
Cuba specialist.
He said customers called in to "find out what it all
means and to book trips."
Popper said he considered the policy change a victory,
considering that even tighter restrictions could have been put in place or that
travel to Cuba could have been outlawed altogether.
"I think Cubans and Americans have a little bit to be
joyous for," said Popper. "People-to-people travel for individuals
who self-certify will end. While that's unfortunate, we've really only gone
back to spring of 2016."
In March 2016, President Obama changed the Cuba travel rule
that had long prohibited most Americans from visiting the island without being
part of a licensed tour group.
Popper said that InsightCuba had done some business with
individual travelers to Cuba, but the bulk the company's business is group people-to-people
tours.
He noted that for people who have been waiting to find out
what kind of changes Trump might make to the U.S.-Cuba travel policy before
booking, Friday's announcement is a "green light" for them.