Dec. 17–Americans’ still won’t be able to laze on Cuban beaches, but today’s announcement by the White House of big changes in U.S. relations with the island nation is huge for travelers.

“I almost drove off the road when I heard it this morning,” said Tom Popper, president of Insight Cuba, a travel company in New Rochelle, N.Y., who has fought long and hard to open access to Cuban travel for Americans.

The president’s announcement today will mean:

–Easier travel to Cuba for individual travelers.

–American travelers can use credit and debit cards in Cuba.

–As before, Americans can travel for 12 approved non-tourism reasons — to visit family, educational, religious, trade and more — basically any purpose that’s not lying on the beach.

–Americans can legally bring back $100 worth of Cuban cigars or rum.

But the wording of the order implies that Americans also can make their own travel arrangements as well, says John McAuliff, the Fund for Reconciliation and Development coordinator for the people-to-people travel program with Cuba.

“You can’t spend an all-inclusive week on the beach in Cuba. But everything else will be entirely up to the integrity of the person making the trip,” he said.

Popper is not so sure. “It doesn’t sound to me like you or I could jump on a plane and go to Cuba,” he said, but more details will become clear in the coming days.

Still, the entire development “is massive,” he says. “It sounds like the two sides have agreed to move on and bury the hatchet, which I think is massively exciting for Cubans to know that this whole dark period of the past 53 years is coming to a close.”

It also means that travel providers will not have to undergo ominous and lengthy application processes to offer travel to Cuba.

McAuliff and Popper are authorities on the thorny travel to Cuba issue, which has been wrapped in controversy for decades.

Until now, the U.S. Treasury Department has severely restricted travel to Cuba, and companies wanting to offer even simple “people-to-people” educational travel had to obtain special licenses. Americans were banned from visiting Cuba for leisure travel.

Here is the portion of the White House announcement of the new regulations that apply to travel:

“General licenses will be made available for all authorized travelers in the following existing categories: (1) family visits; (2) official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations; (3) journalistic activity; (4) professional research and professional meetings; (5) educational activities; (6) religious activities; (7) public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions; (8) support for the Cuban people; (9) humanitarian projects; (10) activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes; (11) exportation, importation, or transmission of information or information materials; and (12) certain export transactions that may be considered for authorization under existing regulations and guidelines.”

“Travelers in the 12 categories of travel to Cuba authorized by law will be able to make arrangements through any service provider that complies with the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regulations governing travel services to Cuba, and general licenses will authorize provision of such services.”

Contact Detroit Free Press Travel Writer Ellen Creager, the Michigan Traveler, at [email protected], 313-222-6498 or follow her on Twitter @ellencreager and www.facebook.com/ellen.creager.1