you would still get a tourist visa from cuba the cuban government issues five main types of visas family press business tourist and other that include student or event visas if you travel via air and fall into one of the categories for a cuban tourist visa like a peopletopeople trip airlines are making it possible to purchase directly from them at the airport such requests dont need to be made in advance and you can work through the charter companies or airlines the cuban embassy told abc news it is best to check with your airline or cruise ship though and make sure they will provide this at time of booking where do i stay cuba has roughly 60000 hotel rooms which is below the number of visitors they host starwood announced a deal earlier this year to become the first us hotel chain to operate on the island in decades their first havana location four points by sheraton opened in june at the former site of the hotel quinta avenida in the miramar district starwood plans to convert two other cuban hotels into its property brands another popular option is to stay at what is known as casa particulares which are similar to a bed and breakfast airbnb has partnered with many home owners as a way to make it easier for americans and other travelers to book stays on the island tourism in cuba is still growing a nearly 12 percent increase in the first half of 2016 when compared to the same time last year what about the embargo that is still in effect and dont expect it to go away anytime soon obama called on congress to lift the embargo when he was in cuba earlier this year going so far as to say the embargos going to end when i cant be entirely sure and when still remains the big question can i bring back cigars yea we know you just want to go to cuba to try those famous cigars and rum and while in cuba enjoy it but what you can bring back still faces limits you can only return with up to 100 worth of alcohol or tobacco or a combination of both according to us customs and border protection cbp you can bring back other mementos from your trip but no more than 400 according to cbp dont forget your cash major credit cards like amex and mastercard are approved for use in cuba but that doesnt mean you should plan on using them most cuban businesses arent prepared or set up to accept them the us embassy reminds all citizens traveling to arrive with enough cash to last you through the end of your trip