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The Metroactive Guide

Cuba: Travel, Business and Trade Information

Although U.S. law prohibits travel to Cuba except under certain circumstances--exemptions include religious, cultural, academic or journalistic--Americans regularly travel to the island nation as part of organized tours, both legal and illegal. The following tour operators are a good place to start for first time visitors to Cuba. U.S. Citizens concerned about complying with federal law should ask to see a license from the U.S. Department of Treasury before departing.

Carribean Music and Dance specializes in licensed arts and dance tours, in which particpants learn to play the congas or master the rhythms of Afro-Cuban choreography. CMD also has an annual Passover trip to break matzos with members of the Havana Jewish community. For more information, contact Carribean Music and Dance, 5 Olive Street Rd., Suite 241, Saint Louis, MO 63141. Tel: (314) 542-3637; Fax: (314) 469-2916; Toll-free (887) 665-4321. Email: [email protected].

Expediciones de La Ultima Frontera is a venture organized by Robert Henry Walz, one of the only people ever arrested for flaunting the US ban on travel to Cuba. Walz claims to have taken over 415 Americans to Cuba for events ranging from marlin fishing tournaments and the Hemingway Sports Classic to surgical conferences, jazz festivals and film festivals. Walz can be contacted at 4823 White Rock Circle, Suite H, Boulder, Colorado 80301 and by telephone (303/530-9275) or fax (303/530-9275 and (303) 444-0734).

Global Exchange has been organizing educational trips to Cuba for over five years, most of which call attention to Cuban accomplishments in such areas as health care, organic farming, alternative transportation. For information about the politically oriented trips, call: (800) 497-1994 or (415) 255-7296. Fax: (415) 255-7498. Email: [email protected].

Jewish Solidarity with Cuba brings humanitarian aid and organizes licensed trips to visit Cuba's tiny Jewish communities in Havana, Cinfuegos, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba. For information about organized travel or making donations, telephone (308) 868-7755 or fax (305) 866-3565.

Business and Trade Information

U.S. Cuba Trade and Economic Council provides information about business opportunities in Cuba, and is one of the best sources of advice about what's legal and what's not. It is the top business network for Americans interested in doing business with Cuba, and it has the ear of both the U.S. and Cuban governments. Its weekly newsletter tracks business developments and the unofficial exchange rate between the peso and the dollar. For information: U.S. Cuba Trade and Economic Council, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10112, USA. Telephone: (212) 246-1444. Fax: (212) 246-2345.

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