On Aug. 14, the American flag was hoisted above the U.S. embassy in Cuba, signaling the re-establishment of diplomacy between the two countries. As relations begin to ease, U.S. travel to Cuba has become a hot commodity.

"My friends, it doesn't take a GPS to realize that the road of mutual isolation and estrangement that the United States and Cuba were traveling is not the right one and that the time has come for us to move in a more promising direction," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry noted. "In the United States, that means recognizing that U.S. policy is not the anvil on which Cuba's future will be forged."

Since announcing the easing of travel and trade regulations to Cuba, U.S. tourism to the country has increased by 36 percent, which includes Americans who have flown to the country via a third-party country like Mexico or the Bahamas to bypass the U.S. restrictions on travel to Cuba.

Attorney Roger Muse, who is a legal expert on Cuba travel says "there's been almost no active enforcement" of the tourism ban under the Obama administration." He also added that the increase of U.S. visitors to Cuba is "what the Obama administration wants. ... They favor engagement. That's why they take this liberalized approach to travel."

With that in mind, many U.S. travel companies are getting into the Cuba travel game.

In July, JetBlue became the first airline to announce they were expanding service to Cuba. Although U.S. airlines still can't sell tickets for Cuba flights, they can operate the aircraft. JetBlue has been doing this practice since 2011 via the partnerships they have with charter companies.

The airline already operates four weekly round-trip flights between Florida and Cuban destinations of Havana and Santa Clara. With the expansion of service, JetBlue will launch a new round-trip flight partnered with Cuba Travel Services between New York's JFK International Airport and Havana's Jose Marti International.

Other major airlines — American Airlines and United Airlines — are looking forward to expanding their services outside charter flights to Cuba.

"The reopening of the United States and Cuban embassies in Havana and Washington is an important step toward building new commercial relationships and re-establishing scheduled air service between the U.S. and Cuba," American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said. "American Airlines has operated charter flights to Cuba for nearly 25 years, and we stand ready to begin scheduled service when it's allowed."

As more tourists come to Cuba, the demand for rooms increases. According to the Cuban tourism ministry, there are about 61,000 hotel rooms in the country. Most of those rooms are already block booking rooms through 2016.

Seeing this potential demand for rooms, Airbnb expanded their service into the country in July. The booking service has more than 2,000 listings since its launch.

"Overall, it's been a remarkably successful launch. I think the potential is quite huge," says Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk said. "Frankly, this is unlike any other country — that there was already such an industry of home-sharing."

U.S. law doesn't allow major American hotel companies like Marriott to do business currently, but the hotel industry is looking forward to the day they can.

"At Marriott International, we are ready to get started right now," Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson said. "While U.S. law still does not allow Marriott to do business in Cuba, we learned that the steps taken by President Barack Obama to re-engage with Cuba have launched a bit of a global race involving businesses from other countries to leave as little as possible for American business when the restrictions are lifted altogether."

Looking to set sail? Yachts and cruises are also looking to provide consumers ways to travel to Cuba. Palm Beach, Florida-based yacht charter operator Paul Madden recently completed the first sanctioned yacht charter to Cuba.

"You cross the Gulf Stream where Hemingway fished, and then you start to see the mountains and then the buildings, and then you come into the port in Havana, and you really feel like an adventurer," Madden told Miami New Times. "You sure don't get that in a plane."

Cruise company Carnival Corp. added themselves to the list of companies sending visitors to Cuba. The parent company of Carnival and Princess will launch a seven night "people to people" tour to Cuba via ship beginning in May 2016. The bi-weekly cruise will allow guests to experience "cultural, artistic, faith-based and humanitarian exchanges between American and Cuban citizens."

"All of our research suggests there is huge pent-up demand for the Cuba experience," Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald tells USA Today, noting that it's been decades since cruise ships sailed from the U.S. to the island.

As the U.S. government and U.S. businesses look ahead to doing business with Cuba, Cuba is also looking forward to the potential of business between the two countries.

The Cuban government recently signed a contract with social data analytics company Socialvane to study the online perspective American tourists have on Cuba's hotels and destinations and how Cuba's online reputation compares to other islands in the Caribbean.

"This kind of analytical mindset isn't new to [Cuba], and the [Ministry of Tourism analytics team] existed long before we showed up and regularly reported their data to the government," says Hugo Sanchez, COO of Socialvane. "What we are doing is helping Cuba monitor almost the whole Caribbean region to understand the trends and travel dynamics that underlie it, and this is helping Cuban authorities to optimize the important investments it should make in its travel industry."

Despite the eases in travel to Cuba that have come in the past few months, there are still a few things you need to keep in mind if you are planning to travel to Cuba.

Tourism travel is not allowed: Tourism travel to Cuba is still banned under the new regulations. Visitors will no longer have to ask for permission from the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control to travel to Cuba, but will have to qualify for one of the 12 categories of travel. This includes: visiting close relatives, education, professional research, religious and participation in sports or public performances.

Credit cards can be used: American travelers to Cuba will be allowed to pay with an American credit cards like American Express or MasterCard. Banks will also be allowed to open corresponding accounts at Cuban banks to handle transactions.

Souvenirs can be brought back stateside: Americans can bring up to $400 worth of souvenirs and $100 worth of cigars.

Travel to Cuba looks to be on the up and up as both the U.S. and Cuba rebuild diplomatic relations.