Cuba shore line

Deserted beach in Cuba. Image by Mary Newcombe / CC BY 2.0

Since the governments of the United States and Cuba announced their rapprochement in December, US bookings to Cuba are going through the roof. One tour operator in New York has reported bookings up 250 percent so far in the month of March. Many put the boom down to a fear that the island will change its character once American tourists start flooding the island. Currently around 600,000 Americans travel to Cuba each year, mainly on Cuban-American passports, or on approved cultural, religious or educational exchanges. When it becomes easier for all Americans to visit the island, some estimate that number could rise to 1.5 million. Read more: skift.com