Skip to main content

EFE--Cuba Embargo is Working

Babalu Blog has the text of an EFE report on the embargo. This is good news, and answers questions I had posted earlier. The fact is that tourism is very much a life line to Fidel Castro, but not to the people. Eye witnesses report tourist "zones" where dollars are used, and where the regular population has limited access. Anyone who travels to Cuba and claims its a paradise, is insane, blind, or plain stupid.
President Bush just cost you $95 million, barbudo. Not that people actually want to be around you. But this is what you get. Go see if Hugo Chavez will, yet again, be happy to make up the difference to you, mendicant.

The embargo is working. EFE reports:

Number of U.S.-Cuba travelers falls over 60 pct

Miami, Jul 18 (EFE).- The number of travelers from the United States to Cuba has fallen more than 60 percent in the past year, the press reported Monday, citing official figures.

The drop in travel from the United States to Cuba was a direct result of the tougher restrictions imposed on dealings with the island by President George W. Bush's administration to "promote a democratic transition on the island," the El Nuevo Herald newspaper said.

For Cuba, the drop in visitors from the United States translated into a reduction of $95 million in revenues, the newspaper said, adding that the restrictions also cost U.S.-based airlines and travel businesses money.

In the past 12 months, according to official figures, some 55,000 people traveled from the United States to Cuba, or about 35.7 percent of the number that had been visiting the island annually before the tougher travel restrictions kicked in June 30, 2004.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issues specific licenses to Cubans living in the United States, who are allowed to visit relatives in Cuba once every three years.

Since the restrictions took effect, OFAC has processed more than 30,000 applications for the travel permits, of which 20,000 were approved and the rest rejected.

The US-Cuba Trade and Economic Council estimates that some 154,000 people traveled legally to Cuba in 2003, some 85 percent of them for family reasons.

About 23,000 traveled to the island under specific licenses for business, religious functions, cultural and sports exchanges, and as members of humanitarian groups. EFE nbc/hv

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Al Cardenas Comments on Univision Democrat Forum

Al Cardenas is Chairman of Romney for President's Hispanic Steering Committee. I got the following email from the campaign. Boston, MA – Al Cardenas, the Chairman of Romney for President's National Hispanic Steering Committee, issued the following statement regarding tonight's Democrat presidential forum on Univision: "Tonight's Univision forum demonstrated once again the consequences that a President Clinton, President Obama or President Edwards would have on the Hispanic community.  Whether it's tax increases for families and the two million Hispanic business owners, socialist-style health care, coddling dictators, opposing free trade with our allies or putting family values last, the Democrat presidential candidates made clear how out of sync their policies are with the best interests of the Hispanic community. Mitt Romney has put in the effort to reach out to this vital bloc, and, after watching tonight's debate...
Post a Comment
Read more

Harry Potter Mania -- Discussion

There is a great discussion going on at WorldMagBlog on the whole Harry Potter mania. Nothing to do with Latinos, I suppose, but I thought I would ad my two cents. A reader commented: I think its interesting how much people want to be in a group that is all connected by some common thread. It says a lot about our desire for homogeny, not always along racial, sexual or religious lines, but also simply based on what we do in our spare time. The interesting thing about Harry Potter fans vs. Star Trek fans is that a vast majority of them are kids who have grown up with the books, or the parents of said kids. I wonder if what sort of effects this will have on them as they get older (and whether or not they will remain HP fans). We live in an obsessive culture. Posted by David B. at July 22, 2005 07:54 AM This is an interesting phenomenon. I would think it is indicative of our society, more than anything else. I tend to agree with the idea that it shows a desire or need for communi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Communism: Good Money for the "El Viejo"

I guess Fidel Castro is doing ok . Forbes lists Castro as one of the richest in the world, right up there with the Queen of England. I bet he didn't like the attention. It was hard to figure it out, but it seems they managed to throw some numbers together. In the past, we have relied on a percentage of Cuba's gross domestic product to estimate Fidel Castro's fortune. This year we have used more traditional valuation methods, comparing state-owned assets Castro is assumed to control with comparable publicly traded companies. A reasonable discount was then applied to compensate for the obvious disclosure issues.
1 comment
Read more