Orbitz Worldwide Launches Campaign To End U.S. Travel Ban To Cuba

[Better Believe It]

News Release
May 11, 2009
Orbitz Worldwise

Orbitz Launches Campaign to End U.S. Travel Ban to Cuba

New Orbitz-Ipsos Poll Finds that 67% of Americans Favor Allowing All Americans to Travel to Cuba

72% Feel Expanding U.S. Travel to Cuba Would Positively Impact the Lives of the Cuban People

CHICAGO, May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Orbitz (www.orbitz.com) and Ipsos (www.ipsos.com) today released a public opinion survey showing that the overwhelming majority of Americans favor ending the U.S. Government's 50-year ban on travel to Cuba. Orbitz today also announced the launch of the "OpenCuba.org" campaign (www.OpenCuba.org), which is designed to give Americans the opportunity to petition the U.S. Government to open up travel to Cuba.

"President Obama recently took a bold step in easing travel restrictions for Cuban-Americans," said Barney Harford, president and CEO of Orbitz Worldwide. "The OpenCuba.org campaign calls on the President and Congress to take action to end the travel ban to Cuba, giving all Americans the freedom to visit what once was a premier tourist destination for U.S. citizens."

"Our mission at Orbitz is to help travelers experience the world," continued Harford. "67% of Americans would also support a policy that would allow U.S. travel agents such as Orbitz to book vacation travel to Cuba."

The OpenCuba.org website gives travelers the opportunity to get directly involved in a grassroots effort to convince American legislators and regulators to end the ban on travel to Cuba. As a focus of the campaign, travelers will be asked to sign a petition calling for an end to the travel ban. Orbitz executives will formally present the petition to U.S. officials in Washington, DC, later this year.

Every person who signs the petition will receive a $100 coupon redeemable on Orbitz against a vacation to Cuba valid if and when the U.S. Government removes the ban on travel to Cuba, and as soon as Orbitz is able to offer such travel on its website.

The OpenCuba.org website also lets Americans write personal letters to President Obama, Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Clinton and members of the U.S. Congress regarding the Cuba travel ban.

Orbitz-Ipsos Poll
According to the Orbitz-Ipsos Poll:

67% of Americans say that they would support a policy that would allow all Americans to travel to Cuba.
32% of Americans would strongly support such a policy that would allow all Americans to travel to Cuba.
Only 23% say that they would oppose lifting these restrictions for Americans traveling to Cuba (only 13% would strongly oppose it).
72% agree that expanding travel and tourism from the U.S. to Cuba would have a positive impact on the day-to-day lives of the Cuban people.
Just 20% feel that allowing Americans to travel to Cuba would not positively impact Cubans in this way.

Other key points include:

67% of Americans would support a policy that would allow travel agents to book vacation travel to Cuba, mirroring the level of support for lifting the travel ban.
Similarly, 63% of Americans agree that it should be legal for online travel sites, such as Orbitz.com, to book travel to Cuba.
64% of Americans say that Orbitz.com should play an active role to persuade elected officials to give all Americans the freedom to travel to Cuba.

http://pressroom.orbitz.com/index.php?s=43&item=743

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Our Mission
Today, Americans are free to travel anywhere in the world except Cuba.

In April, President Obama took a bold step by making it easier for Cuban Americans to visit their families in Cuba. Opinion polls show that the overwhelming majority of Americans believes that all U.S. citizens should have the freedom to travel to Cuba. We agree.

The opportunity to end the 50-year travel ban now hangs in the balance. We must seize this moment and speak with a powerful, united voice. Join us in urging U.S. leaders to give all Americans the freedom to travel to Cuba.

Sign the Petition
To President Barack Obama, Vice President Biden and Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives:
Now is the time to give all Americans the freedom to travel to Cuba, and allow U.S. travel companies to help get them there. We call on you to end the 50-year ban on travel to Cuba.

Please visit this website and find out more about the campaign to end the travel ban at:

http://www.opencuba.org/

[AspenRose]

1. I'd go.

[Better Believe It]

2. So would I and my spouse.

[mwooldri]

3. It seems silly that in a democratic country...

... we can go everywhere else (provided that country would issue a visa...). We can go to Iran, Syria, DPR Korea, Zimbabwe... but not Cuba.

I guess if we really wanted to go to Cuba I'd have to get my family British passports as well as American ones... and fly out of the US on the US passport and fly into Cuba on the British ones - via a 3rd country like Mexico, I guess.

Did the USA have travel bans to the Soviet Union?

[Better Believe It]

4. For thte weekday crew