By
Rebecca Gibson |
The US Department of the Treasury and the US Department of Commerce have approved Carnival Corporation & plc’s request to cruise to Cuba from May 2016.
Carnival Corporation intends to operate Cuba cruises via fathom, its recently launched ‘social impact travel’ brand that will enable consumers to participate in various projects to improve education, the environment and the economy in underprivileged communities.
Authorised under current US-to-Cuba travel guidelines, fathom’s new Cuban itineraries will comply with US Department of Treasury rules that allow licensed travel companies to transport approved tourists to Cuba to engage in activities that support the Cuban people. Carnival Corporation is in active discussions and plans to work with the appropriate authorities to gain Cuban approval.
“We are excited about receiving US approval as the very important first step to ultimately take travellers to Cuba under the existing 12 criteria for authorised travel,” said Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation. “We look forward to working with the Cuban authorities for their approval to help make the social, cultural and humanitarian exchanges between US citizens and the people of Cuba a reality. We know there is strong demand from travellers who want to immerse themselves in Cuban culture, so this is a historic opportunity for us to enable more people to experience Cuban society.”
Operating as Carnival Corporation’s tenth global brand, fathom will offer seven-day ‘social impact’ voyages onboard the 700-passenger Adonia, which currently sails in Carnival Corporation’s P&O Cruises UK fleet. From next April, Adonia will offer cruises to the Puerto Plata region in the Dominican Republic, before fathom offers Cuban and Dominican itineraries on a systematic and regular basis to allow travellers to choose between two destinations and a range of social impact activities.
“We’re incredibly excited and humbled by this potential opportunity to help travellers experience the amazing beauty and culture of Cuba, while being able to provide educational and cultural exchange activities that will benefit both the traveller and the Cuban people,” said Tara Russell, president of fathom and global impact lead for Carnival Corporation. “After establishing the Dominican Republic as our first partner destination, Cuba represents an important step for us to expand our ability to offer meaningful and enriching experiences to purpose-driven travellers. Our goal remains the same for both destinations – to enable travellers to immerse, learn, serve and flourish while making enduring, sustainable contributions on a scalable and systematic basis.”
Earlier this week, MSC Cruises also revealed it will homeport MSC Opera in Havana, Cuba, for the first time this winter.