Havana (AFP)
The liner "Empress of the seas" became Wednesday the last American cruise ship to stop in Cuba after the imposition of new sanctions by Washington on the island's tourism industry.
The liner, flying the flag of the Bahamas and owned by the US company Royal Caribbean Cruises, docked on Tuesday at the port of Havana for a two-day stopover.
The announcement of sanctions, which came into effect on Wednesday, took many passengers by surprise. They were informed during their visit to the Cuban capital.
"It's good or bad, we do not know about it as American citizens, it was a real surprise for us," Linda Mensure, a native of Texas, told AFP.
"People have planned their trip for next week and can not come in. It's sad," Jim Johnson, a tourist from Florida, said of fellow countrymen who bought tickets for cruises including Cuba on their itinerary. .
The United States on Tuesday announced new sanctions on the Cuban tourism industry, a critical sector for the Caribbean island economy accused of interfering in Venezuela for its support of President Nicolas Maduro's regime.
Washington, which accuses Havana of playing a "destabilizing role" in Latin America, is now barring Americans from traveling to Cuba on group trips.
The sanctions also apply to cruise ships, fishing or pleasure craft and private or business aviation.
Cuba, under embargo from Washington since 1962, received more than 250,000 US tourists between January and April, nearly double the previous year.
Since coming to power in 2017, President Donald Trump has toughened measures targeting the island.
His predecessor Democrat Barack Obama had initiated in late 2014 a historic warming with the Castroite power, which Donald Trump ended after taking office by strengthening the embargo and sanctions.
? 2019 AFP