Nobody expects this week's announcement that Fidel Castro is stepping down as president to end the U.S. trade embargo with Cuba, at least not right away. But the rules have been chipped away for years and now cruise industry watchers say within a matter of months, we could start seeing U.S.-based cruise lines making trips to Cuba.
TravelMole, a travel industry insider's Web site, says:
Fidel Castro's unexpected resignation raises speculation about US travel there but the most likely impact may be on the cruise business, analysts say.
Cruise lines that cater to Americans could be calling on Cuba within months of getting the go-ahead from US lawmakers.
That's what industry watchers such as Robin Farley of UBS suggest. He notes that major lines such as Carnival are ready to jump on Cuba as a destination should the US lift its embargo on the Caribbean nation.
While the move does not mean that the US will end its economic embargo in the near future, "new leadership could be a positive event for the cruise industry if diplomatic relations resulted in the opening of Cuba to American tourism," Mr Farley wrote in a research note.
The note said Cuba would represent a new itinerary with significant pent-up demand from American tourists and a lack of developed hotel infrastructure, favoring cruise ships as a way to visit the island.
