From Political Advocate To Business (Travel) Consultant?

An increasing number of individuals who are or have engaged in Republic of Cuba-related political advocacy (as sole proprietors, lobbyists, employees of not-for-profits, affiliated with educational institutions, etc.) are planning to depart or have departed those venues and reinventing as (travel) consultants eager, for a considerable price, to be engaged by entities that wish to have groups visit the Republic of Cuba to identify commercial opportunities.

They are relocating because the revenue stream to seek legislative remedies in the United States Congress has evaporated due to the continuing changes in OFAC and BIS regulations and the decision by the government of the Republic of Cuba not to (thus far) actively permit United States companies to make use of the expanded OFAC and BIS regulations.  

Any legislative focus is now targeted at after 24 February 2018, the date upon which H.E. Raul Castro, President of the Republic of Cuba, will retire.  As a result of his retirement, one provision of the Libertad Act of 1996 will have been met.

They are enticed by the knowledge that one United States governor wasted US$25,000.00 in taxpayer funds to pay a "Cuba Country Expert" at a Washington, DC-based not-for-profit organization when all of the expertise was available at no cost from the government of the Republic of Cuba and other entities (for profit and not-for-profit).

The challenge for the newly-minted self-proclaimed (travel) consultants is they have no knowledge or have limited knowledge of the private sector and their ability to function within the Republic of Cuba is solely based upon having been a political advocate.

Of value to remember that the government of the Republic of Cuba is not supportive of consultants- as it prefers a straight line between it and a company rather than a triangle created by the insertion of a third-party.

Of value to remember the tangible commercial results of the hundreds of representatives from United States companies, three United States governors, sixteen United States Senators, and twenty-seven members of the United States House of Representatives who have visited the Republic of Cuba in 2015 who have visited the Republic of Cuba thus far in 2015….