U.S. Fans Can Go to Cuba, but They Can’t Spend Money While There

Athletes competing for the United States at this summer’s Pan American Games are not likely to have much crowd support at stadiums in Havana and Santiago, Cuba.

According to U.S. State Department regulations, U.S. citizens are allowed to travel to Cuba. But they cannot spend money there. Exceptions for the Pan American Games include athletes, officials and journalists.

But not parents, wives, girlfriends or just plain fans.

For them, it would be impossible to avoid spending money because the Cuban government requires all tourists to book hotel rooms even if they plan to stay with family members or friends.

Without U.S. tourists, Cuban organizers still expect as many as 12,000 visitors to the island from 37 other countries involved in the Games from Aug. 2-18. That does not include about 7,200 athletes and officials.

Cuba’s hotels will be taxed. The country is building and refurbishing hotels, but they will not be completed by this summer.

“If 20,000 American tourists came for the Pan American Games, we would not have the accommodations,” President Fidel Castro said last week. “But by the time we have the Olympic Games, yes, we will be able to accommodate them.”

Until then, Cuba had not announced its intention to bid for the Olympics.