Just about a week away until the first regularly
scheduled flight between the United States and Cuba! JetBlue flights between Ft. Lauderdale and
the centrally located Cuban city of Santa Clara begins August 31st. This will initially operate 3 days a week,
becoming daily starting October 1st.
General Tourism is still prohibited, however through JetBlue
one can procure an affidavit that will affirm a traveler is traveling for one
of the 12 allowable reasons (ranging from humanitarian, religious and
educational purposes) which allows the purchase of a Cuban entry visa ($50 USD)
as well as the mandatory Cuban health insurance ($25), the latter being added
to the cost of the flight (starting at $99 each way) automatically. It is expected that other airlines operating
flights between the U.S. and Cuba will follow suit.
Other relevant news; Cuba has recently announced a
partnership with the French companies Bouygues International to upgrade Jose
Marti Havana Airport to handle up to 50% more traffic and with Aeroports de
Paris which operate Charles de Gaulle, Orly and a dozen other regional airports
near Paris to operate Jose Marti Airport.
A general statistic just released; Cuba welcomed just over 2
million visitors during the first half of 2016, close to a 12% increase from
the same time period last year.
~Visit soon to experience the full charm of this unique
country!~