Statement from ITAA regarding DFA Advice To ‘Avoid Non-Essential Travel’ To Cuba

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) have upgraded travel advice for Cuba to ‘Avoid Non-Essential Travel’. The Irish Travel Agents Association are advising those who had plans to travel to, or those currently holidaying on the Caribbean island of Cuba, to contact their ITAA travel agent immediately and to follow the advice of the DFA.

Clare Dunne, CEO of the Irish Travel Agents Association said, “I would strongly recommend that anyone thinking of traveling to Cuba should read the Department of Foreign Affairs travel advice and check with their ITAA travel agent before making any bookings. The ITAA advice to any prospective Irish travellers who may have already booked a holiday to Cuba is to immediately check with both your travel agent and your travel insurance. When the DFA advise to Avoid Essential Travel to a particular country, Cuba in this instance, it usually means that the travel insurance policy will not cover travel to that country.”

She continued, “November to March is normally the best time to travel to Cuba. However, the number of Irish citizens who travel from Ireland to Cuba has declined over the past few years and is now very low. This is mainly down to two reasons – connectivity to Cuba from Ireland is very limited and secondly, travellers who travel to Cuba are not then eligible to apply for an ESTA to visit the USA and must instead apply to the US Embassy for an entry visa.”

It is thought there are very few, if any, Irish holiday makers currently in Cuba.