On Jan. 16, new rules went into effect to ease travel and trade restrictions against Cuba, making it less cumbersome for Americans to travel there.

Amid much political posturing, President Barack Obama used executive authority to implement this policy change without the Congress' involvement. According to the Washington Post, the move reinforced what many lawmakers already believe — that "a half-century of isolation from the American people and goods have failed to move Cuba toward democracy or assist civil society or the still highly restricted private sector there."

Relaxed restrictions should improve this, according to Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew, who believes that "Cuba has real potential for economic growth, and by increasing travel, commerce, communications and private business development between the United States and Cuba, the United States can help the Cuban people determine their own future."

The U.S. embargo is still in effect, and Treasury officials stated that existing sanctions were being "amended," not eliminated. Travel is still limited to 12 categories, including U.S. government business, journalism, educational research, religious or mission activities and family visits.

Regardless of political opinions around these new policies, the travel industry has applauded the move. The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) fully endorsed the Obama administration's relaxed sanctions, and many tour operators as well have come out in support.

"This is a positive move for tourism," says Melanie Gravdal, a spokeswomen for the Globus family of brands. "Since introducing our Globus tours to Cuba in 2013, we know that there is high demand. Making travel more convenient by lifting currency and communication restrictions is a very tangible positive change."

Some policy changes can and will be easily implemented, but others — primarily around Cuban infrastructure — will take time to be developed. Among those easily adopted are:

1. Less bureaucratic red tape

Americans will no longer be required to obtain a Treasury Department license and can travel with trips of a religious or educational nature or any of the additional approved purposes just by indicating such on travel documents. USA Today reports that one of the most notable changes is that Americans will no longer need to get approval from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control before embarking on a trip to Cuba.

As long as Americans certify they are traveling through one of 12 approved categories — which include educational, religious and humanitarian trips — they can simply head to the island. Traveling to Cuba solely as a tourist remains prohibited.

2. No more flight restrictions

Flight restrictions have also been lifted, and U.S. airlines will now be allowed to fly scheduled routes to Cuba, which has been prohibited since the 1960s. U.S. air carriers will be no longer be required to get a special license from the government once the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Homeland Security update their rules to accommodate the new flights.

While no airlines have yet committed to this route, those with hubs in Miami (American Airlines) and those that currently fly charter flights to Cuba (Jet Blue, Sun Country) would be ones to watch. United Airlines took the most direct approach releasing a statement that read, "We plan to serve Cuba, subject to government approvals, and look forward to doing so from our global gateways of Newark and Houston."

3. Cuban goods allowed

Americans can now bring back those coveted Cuban products — rum and cigars — under the new guidelines, which allow up to $400 in Cuban goods, $100 of which can be alcohol and tobacco products. Previously, spending had been restricted to $188 a day inclusive of hotels, meals and other incidentals, and no souvenirs were permitted back into the U.S.

Another aspect of the new regulations is that tour operators will no longer be the only agents able to book travel to Cuba. Travel agents will be authorized to sell travel to Cuba without having to acquire a special license. But, with years of experience sending clients to Cuba, tour operators are still most familiar with how to navigate travel planning to the island, at least for now.

The development of full-service tourism to Cuba will be a long-term process, and transformation won’t happen overnight.

"We want to emphasize that Cuba is still a long way away from becoming a destination where travelers can book a flight to, immerse themselves into culture and take part in local customs," Amelia Sugerman, communications and public relations specialist for Collette, told TravelPulse. "There is a still a very long way (we anticipate at least 3-4 years) until the infrastructures are in place to allow all of these aspects to work."

Investment in several areas to enable tourism are needed, including:

• A telecommunications infrastructure to enable greater and reliable Internet access is undetermined and could be a big deterrent to Americans who need to be hooked up while travelling. However, the ability of American companies to sell materials and services in Cuba will hasten this development.
• A significant need for credit card systems to be implemented quickly as U.S. residents can now use debit/credit cards, eliminating the need to pay for their entire trip in cash.

Ronen Paldi, one of the longest-running operators to Cuba, told TravelPulse that he believes tourism to Cuba has some challenges and that the regulated traffic of recent decades to an unregulated flow of tourists to Cuba will require major infrastructure improvements to accommodate the numbers.

"I can only tell you one thing," Paldi said. "The Cubans will not allow Americans to come free and open into the country. Already in January, February and March, Havana is fully booked. It's very difficult to find a room. There is no capacity in Cuba for the extra flow of American tourism; not enough buses, not enough tour guides, parking spots for buses, let alone rooms. It's simply not there."