Havana, June 17 (RHC)-- The restrictions imposed by the Trump Administration on Cuba are having a negative impact on the non-state sector of Cuba.
Nearly 900,000 tourists visited the island on cruise ships last year, according to official figures, and the country was heading towards record numbers with a quarter million tourists arriving in the first four months of 2019 alone, double the rate of the previous year.
But on June 4, the US administration implemented new restrictions, banning visits from private planes, eliminating the People-to-People educational travel license, and prohibiting cruise ships and recreational vessels from docking in Cuban ports.
The reason cited behind the move was Cuba´s solidarity with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
The measure has severely impacted private operations, from the tours provided on Old American convertible cars, to empty restaurants and cafeterias in Old Havana and slow sales of arts and crafts at street fairs.
Artisans who operate at the fair located on 23rd St and M in the Vedado district in downtown Havana, rallied on Sunday to vent their disappointment, and demand respect for the sovereignty.
Héctor Danilo Rodríguez, union leader of the self-employed workers at the fair told Prensa Latina news agency that the Trump Administration will not succeed in its purposes with the enactment of Tittle III of the Helms Burton law or with other measures.
“Despite the effects of the blockade, Cubans will not be intimidated, and no matter how much money and power the imperialists may have, they will never be able to buy something that is plentiful on the island: dignity”.
“No nos Entendemos”, “We do not understand each other”, is phrase that dates back to the historic Protest of Baragua.
