Visitors to Cuba may 'rough it'

HAVANA - A push in Congress to do away with the U.S. ban on travel to Cuba could set off a flood of American visitors to the long-forbidden island.

But many wonder whether a country where foreigners have long complained about lousy food, sluggish service, and iffy infrastructure is ready for an onslaught of Americans unseen since the days of Meyer Lansky and Al Capone.

Cuba has about as many hotel rooms as Detroit, and most already are full of Canadians and Europeans. Experts say droves of Americans could drive up prices, unleash calls for more flights and cruises than Cuba can handle, and force the government to tighten visa restrictions to regulate the stampede.

"There is great pent-up demand," said Bob Whitley, president of the United States Tour Operators Association, which opposes the travel ban. "It will have to be controlled by officials in Cuba, but also by U.S. tour operators to make sure the infrastructure is up to it."

Bills in the House and Senate would effectively allow all Americans to visit. Trips for U.S. citizens with relatives here already got easier last month. Cuban Americans now may visit annually instead of every three years.

Cuba began encouraging international tourism after the Soviet Union fell; its top feeder countries are Canada, Britain, Italy, Spain, and France. Foreign tourist visits increased 9.3 percent last year to a record 2.35 million, generating $2.7 billion, the government says.

Despite the global economic downturn, international visitor rates increased 4.5 percent through February compared with the first two months of 2008.

An influx of Americans could create a lodging crunch. Cuba has partnered with foreign companies such as the Spanish chain Sol Melia to offer about 46,000 hotel rooms across an island about the size of Pennsylvania. About 17,300 of those rooms are concentrated in the beach resort of Varadero, 90 miles east of Havana.

Cuba plans to build 30 hotels nationwide to tap into the market for boutique accommodations. Some have been completed, but many aging properties have been shut down for remodeling.

Even at top Cuban resorts, it often is difficult to get amenities as basic as extra toilet paper. Comforts including apples, fries, and bottled beer are sometimes scarce - not to mention perks such as in-room coffeemakers and wireless Internet access.

And, as in Eastern Europe in the 1970s, international tourists complain about subpar food and service.

"You have maybe five hotels that you could consider decent enough for Americans and their standards, but if they are already running at 60 to 70 percent occupancy during high season, where are all these new people going to stay?" asked John Kavulich, senior policy adviser for the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council in New York.

Many travelers bypass hotels for rented rooms in Cuban homes. But the government does not let those offering such accommodations rent more than two rooms, and few are hopeful those rules will be eased.

"More demand won't mean anything unless the government changes things," said Concha Perez, who offers rooms in her home in Havana's Plaza de la Revolution district.

U.S. travel to Cuba is not illegal, but spending money here is - except with special authorization like that for journalists and some businesses.

Just how many U.S. travelers would come if Cuba were not off-limits is a guess. The American Society of Travel Agents estimated in 2007 that nearly 1.8 million Americans could visit in the first three years after travel rules were loosened.

Whitley of the U.S. tour operators' group said U.S. airlines and charter companies could restore commercial service to Cuba in six months if the travel ban were lifted.