The Trump Administration is dragging us into the past with their restrictions on Americans who want to travel to Cuba. They are an affront to all Americans who cherish the right to travel and associate freely with peaceful people everywhere on the planet. And they are proving devastating to the Cuban people.
The Administration’s rollbacks can be seen as a return to a tried-and-failed U.S. strategy: facilitate regime change by strangling the Cuban economy to undermine Cuban leadership. This policy hasn’t worked over the last 60 years, and it won’t work moving forward. The loss of visitors has put a tremendous strain on economic growth and ultimately hurts the Cuban people. Tourism is Cuba’s third largest source of income and is considered central to Cuba’s economic development.
Despite recent changes, Global Exchange’s ability to organize travel remains legal. Global Exchange has fought for the right to freely travel for over 30 years. Traveling to Cuba shows support for the Cuban people. It is not only a great travel experience, but it is an important opportunity to take action and strengthen our people-to-people ties with our island neighbors.
Join us this spring on our Cuba: Flora and Fauna tour – one of our favorites. You will meet with birding, botany and marine specialists to explore one of the most biologically dense and diverse islands in the Caribbean! Explore Havana’s largest organic urban garden, the orchid gardens of Soroa, protected wetlands in the Zapata National park and footpaths through evergreen and semi-deciduous forest which offer excellent opportunities to view around 800 species of plants and well over 100 bird species. You’ll meet with urban and rural Cuban farmers, tobacco growers and environmental conservationists. We’ll visit several of the island’s national parks and UNESCO heritage sites, all while learning about Cuba’s history and culture.
We invite you to travel with us, demonstrate your solidarity with the Cuba people, and stand up against Trump’s rollback on U.S./Cuba relations.