By Lauren Steele, Men's Journal
The détente between the U.S. and Cuba
began on December 17, 2014, causing travel-related costs to spike with
100 to 400 percent price increases. These jumps were due to the influx
of American travelers visiting the once-forbidden island nation. But for
the first time since, travel prices that are controlled by Cuban
government-run agencies and hoteliers have decreased for the spring,
summer, and fall of 2017.
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“This is the first time we’ve seen costs come down instead of
up, in three years,” says Tom Popper, president of U.S.-to-Cuba travel
operator travel operator Insight Cuba in
a release. “The question was, for how long were prices going to
increase or stay at artificially inflated levels. At some point the
market would force a correction.”
[post_ads]This means Cuba is cheaper to
travel to than ever, and with the current U.S. political climate the way
it is, your best bet is to book your trip to Havana now. The mad rush
of Americans traveling to Cuba after Obama’s 2014 détente announcement
caused demand for travel — and travel prices — to go through the roof.
Commercial flights direct from the U.S. to Cuba offered by bigwig
airlines such as Delta and Jet Blue made logistics simple for American
travelers. The combined factors of the détente, commercial flights, and
the 12 categories of travel allowed popularity and prices in 2016 to
climb rapidly — with summer 2016 being the peak of travel and costs. Now
with the initial rush past us —and with a future political relationship
that could go either way under the Trump administration — a small
trough between the waves has rolled into the Cuba travel sector.
But
since most legal travel must be booked through a third-party operator
(who use government price drops in Cuba to make a wider margin of profit
for themselves), most American travelers won’t see the savings. But
instead, of pocketing those savings they get directly from the price
cuts from the Cuban government, Insight Cuba is passing on savings
directly to travelers who book their legal travel to Cuba with them.
According to Popper, you can save up to $250 per person on a trip booked
for spring or summer 2017.
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“While we’re looking at a decrease in
costs for this spring, summer, and fall, anything can happen for the
2017 and 2018 winter season,” Popper says. He suggests for travelers to
book now to take advantage of lower costs this spring, summer, and fall
or to book winter trips now to lock in pricing — as well as to bypass
any other concerns regarding travel to Cuba. “Now is the best time,”
Popper says. “As far as choosing a destination, Cuba is a great choice.
There are no safety concerns. It is easy to get there.”
Insight
Cuba is currently offering eight tours of the island ranging from
four-day/three-night stays to a 12-day/11-night excursion, with each
priced 15–20 percent lower than normal rates to reflect the Cuban
government’s decrease in travel costs. You can book here.
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