Easier travel from United States to Cuba likely to divert tourists from Jacksonville area

While looser travel guidelines between Cuba and the United States have prompted interest in journeys to the island nation, First Coast tourism officials say they are wary about the implications for the Sunshine State.

Friday's announcement from the White House that eases travel restrictions to Cuba - restrictions in place for 54 years - creates new competition for Florida tourism bureaus. North Florida tourism officials see the tourism traffic going only one way initially: to Cuba, because residents of that country are too impoverished to afford traveling here.

Richard Goldman, CEO of the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau, said First Coast tourism officials initially look at Cuba with a wary eye. Goldman was blunt: The normalization of relations with Cuba could reduce the draw of visitors to the long-time traditional tourist destinations in St. Johns County.

"The truth is it's relevant and it's tied to Cuba opening up as a competitor. That's pure and simple," Goldman said. "In my relationship with Florida tourism for the past 20 years the concern and interest with Cuba has been focused largely on that. It's a new competitor on one hand.

"On the other hand, as a travel provider, if I were an airline, if I were a cruise line, that's quite different. If I were a Florida airline or a Florida cruise, that's a market I definitely want open."

Maribel Hernandez, president of the First Coast Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said she knows several Cuban expatriates in the Jacksonville area and those of Cuban descent who are ready to travel there once relations are normalized.

But the potential for Cubans traveling to America for tourism is limited in the near future, Hernandez said.

Hernandez said the first wave of travelers from Cuba coming to the United States likely would involve permanent relocations.

"The only influx of individuals from Cuba that we see coming here would be those who plan to stay" in the United States, Hernandez said.

If anything, the Hispanic community in North Florida will be exporting tourism to Cuba.

"We do have Cuban members and we've already had informal discussions," Hernandez said. "Tourists from here will go back home and will address unfinished business."

That business will include the reunification of long-separated family members who have been apart since the Fidel Castro regime.

Hernandez said it's personal for her. Her brother-in-law in Jacksonville is a Cuban native. Her husband is a U.S. native whose late father was Cuban and immigrated to America. Hernandez said no doubt the immediate tourism impact on the First Coast will be exporting travelers to Cuba.

"I have a niece there who is separated from us," Hernandez said. "There's a lot of hope within the Cuban members that they'll be reunited with family."

Before there's any substantial impact on tourism for Cuba, the United States or the First Coast, Hernandez said, the current government regime in Cuba will have to end.

"There's still uncertainty, absolutely," Hernandez said.

CRUISING THE CARIBBEAN

Roger Frizzell, spokesman for Carnival Corp. cruise lines, which has ships that port in Jacksonville, said no doubt Cuba is now on the radar for potential ports of call.

"Cuba is the largest country in the Caribbean, so there's some exciting possibilities," Frizzell said. "Some infrastructure cruising already exists in the country, along with several ports, so it offers great potential. But there are other issues that will need to be taken into consideration if this market opens up."

Visit Jacksonville President Paul Astleford said it's not clear what the future holds for Jacksonville's cruise services and Cuba. He said most likely South Florida will be the immediate beneficiary for Cuba tourism on the seas.

Astleford, like Goldman, said Cuba easily could crowd the First Coast's efforts to attract more tourists.

"I don't know what kind of potential Cuba will give to Jacksonville," Astleford said. "They, Cuba, would be crazy if they didn't do that [try to draw Americans].

"The world of tourism is incredibly competitive to begin with. So, yes, I do believe they are going to do their darnedest to draw the tourism dollar to their shores," Astleford said.

There has already been a lot of illegal tourism to Cuba, Astleford said. Despite sanctions, embargoes and travel restrictions, he said he knows many American travelers had been making stops in Cuba.

For years, U.S. airlines have been dipping their toes into Cuba's waters.

While most Americans are prohibited from traveling to Cuba and spending money there, close relatives of Cubans, academics and people on accredited cultural education programs can visit. And there is a tiny, but robust business in transporting people to Cuba.

Most operators are tiny storefront travel agents in the Miami area with names like Alina's Travel Co. and Gina's Travel Services. Those agents then charter planes from carriers like American Airlines to transport the groups.

About 170,000 authorized travelers made the trip last year, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Many officials of airlines such as Delta and JetBlue say they've routinely serviced Cuba as a precursor to the projected end of hostilities with America.

"Having served there through our charter operations, the groundwork has been laid for us to possibly serve the market if an opportunity becomes available," said Delta spokesman Anthony Black.

EXOTIC APPEAL

Though trips haven't been booked yet, Hernandez said Cubans on the First Coast are already making general plans to get to Cuba.

Steve Crandall, president of Discount Travel on Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville, said he's also started to receive calls about the potential travel implications to Cuba.

"There's going to be a lot of demand. There will be a lot of people looking for a new place that they haven't been before. Of course, there's that mystique, too, of going to a place that was closed off and is now open," Crandall said.

Crandall agreed with Hernandez that Cuban expatriates and relatives will be the Cuba travel forerunners. But eventually, the general tourist set will cast its gaze on the Caribbean country as a destination.

Both Astleford and Goldman said it may take years before any Cubans make regular tourist trips to Florida. The economy is so depressed in that nation, many ordinary residents wouldn't be able to afford spending serious cash on recreational excursions to Florida.

Nonetheless, Goldman said he's already considering tourism packages that can connect Cubans to the deep Hispanic roots of St. Augustine.

The historic graveyard in downtown St. Augustine is lined with headstones that share the same names as descendants of many people who live in Cuba. A heritage-based package of tourism offerings would likely be the initial pitch to potential travelers there.

But that would be years away, Goldman said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Drew Dixon: (904) 359-4098