Cuba cleared the way Friday for the resumption of cruise voyages from the United States, lifting a restriction on Cubans entering or leaving the country by sea. The change of a rule that dates back to the Cold War was announced in a statement published in the communist party newspaper Granma. The restriction will be lifted Tuesday.
The change - until now Cubans could enter or leave the country only by plane - is yet another offshoot of the restoration of diplomatic relations last year between Havana and Washington. Its climax was a historic visit to Cuba last month by President Barack Obama.
Commercial flights between the two countries are also expected to resume soon. Leisure giant Carnival had won permission from both governments to run cruise ships between Florida and Cuba. But initially, because of the now-lifted restriction, Carnival could not accept reservations from people born in Cuba.