In a bold move to obtain scarce hard currency, Cuba

0 Comments | Caribbean Update, September, 1993

In a bold move to obtain scarce hard currency, Cuba is lifting tight restrictions on travel to the island for Cuban-Americans that had forced most to wait for months or even years for visas allowing them to visit their families:

Travel agencies in Miami that specialize in trips to Cuba for Cuban-Americans say Havana has notified them that it will quickly seek a fivefold increase (from a current average of 90 per week) in the number of exiles visiting the island, reducing the processing time for most visa applications to about two weeks. They were also told that Cuban-

Americans may carry an unlimited amount of dollars with them, play host to their relatives in tourist hotels and shops, and return as often as they like;

"This is a gutsy, but really...