7 CUBA PLUS • SEPTEMBER 2016
“The interest is absolutely huge,”
says Susan Weissberg, president and
CEO of Wyllys Professional Travel, a
member of Ensemble Travel Group
based in Coral Gables, Florida. “I started
receiving calls approximately two years
ago from travelers interested in visi;ng
Cuba, and that’s when I decided to
personally visit the country.”
“We really started seeing more inter-
est in Cuba about three or four years
ago,” says Roxanne Boryczki, president
of AZ Trails Travel, an Ensemble agency
in Fountain Hills, Arizona. “It’s been
growing ever since. I think we’re going
to con;nue to see a steady increase in
curiosity and bookings.”
on the wish list
A;er years of being absent from the
travel map for most U.S. travelers, it’s
no surprise that Cuba has sprung to
the top of the wish list for many U.S.
ci;zens. The island na;on’s previously
forbidden allure and unique lifestyle
is a large part of Cuba’s appeal today.
“The way that it’s stopped in ;me is
what amazes most people,” says Diane
B. Mullahy, president of Travel Leaders
Framingham, in Massachuse;s. She
also notes “the beauty of the architecture and the restaurants, and how
beau;ful and happy the people are.”
Safety is also a selling point, she adds.
When Boryczki speaks to clients,
“Everybody’s curious about the old cars,”
she says. “That’s one of the things that
comes up in every conversa;on—also
the art and the music are huge. Every-
one wants to experience the music and
the history and the architecture of the
colonial ci;es. It’s also about the warmth
of the people and the evolu;on of the
Afro-Cuban culture.”
For Terry Beaty, CEO of Regency
Travel, a Virtuoso member
in Memphis, Tennessee,
the Cuban people them-
selves are a large part of
the draw. “The people are so warm and
invi;ng, so friendly and nice,” he says.
“Go to some other islands in the Carib-
bean and that’s not always the case.”
Beyond the broad appeal, several
niche markets have a;racted a follow-
ing, such as art, music, architecture and
agriculture. There are tours designed
specifically for LGBT travelers. And
Weissberg says, “I also specialize in
travel to Cuba with a focus on Jewish
heritage. This past year, I arranged for a
rabbi with members of his congrega;on
to conduct Sabbath services at Tem-
ple Beth Shalom in Havana.” She also
notes that medical tourism is another
area of interest. “We can take people
to the medical school at the University
of Havana and arrange a lecture there,
and also visit a pharmacy,” she says.
“We just keep evolving and changing,
and upda;ng i;neraries accordingly.”
the intrepid traveler
Regardless of specific interests, many
of today’s U.S. travelers to Cuba can
be described in similar terms: flexible,
sophis;cated and well-traveled. While
there are outliers, of course, Cuba isn’t
typically the choice for first-;me travelers or those seeking tradi;onal luxury.
In fact, much of the country’s ini;al
wave of tourists from the U.S. are those
who have long been intrigued by the
island na;on and were eager to visit as
soon as the opportunity was available.
Leigh Barnes, North America direc-
tor at Intrepid Travel, an
adventure travel com-
pany that offers tours
to Cuba, also notes that
some travelers feel
compelled to visit Cuba
now—before more
changes occur. “This is
a des;na;on s;ll very
much in its infancy for
U.S. travelers, so peo-
ple are really keen to
see it in its most pure
form, before heavy
development begins,”
she says. “It’s not the right ;me to visit
Cuba for travelers who expect a lot of
luxury and a completely seamless travel
experience. It’s really for those who are
okay with celebra;ng both the journey
and the des;na;on.”
“The perfect demographic for Cuba
is an experienced traveler who has a
sense of adventure and is very flexi-
ble about their travel arrangements,”
agrees Boryczki. “It’s not for clients who
need to have every minute of their day
filled with a strict i;nerary.”
In terms of age, Boryczki says that
while most of her Cuba-bound travelers
are baby boomers, “We’re also seeing
some millennials who are inquiring
about Cuba. They’re curious too.”
Beaty says he sells to a diverse
range of ages, especially for the art and
museum group trips that he orga-
nizes from Memphis. “There’s a good
cross-sec;on of every age group,” he
