U.S. tour executives travel to Cuba

Sunday, October 19, 2003 Posted: 5:53 PM EDT (2153 GMT)

 

 Jones of Washington said a loophole in the U.S. travel restrictions had allowed them to visit the island legally for the day because they were fully hosted and did not spend any money.

The group was to fly back to Cancun on Sunday evening.

The U.S. Treasury Department effectively prohibits most Americans from traveling here by making it illegal for them to spend money on the island.

Cuba's growing tourist industry accounts for 40 percent of the government's foreign income. It expects 1.9 million tourists this year, most from Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, France and Britain.

About 200,000 U.S. citizens visited Cuba last year, putting the United States second behind Canada as a source of travelers to the island, according to travel industry experts here.

Of those, perhaps 50,000 came illegally through third countries such as Jamaica, Canada or Mexico to disguise their trips. Bush administration officials recently vowed to dedicate anti-terrorism resources to restrict that practice.