Orbitz Starts Cuba Travel Petition for all American Citizens

Blending commerce with politics, Orbitz Worldwide is launching a campaign this week aimed at getting Congress to reverse a law that prohibits travel to Cuba for most U.S. citizens and green-card holders.

Starting today through a Web site at http://www.opencuba.org/, Orbitz visitors can petition the White House, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and members of Congress to eliminate the decades-old trade and travel restrictions.

U.S. airlines, cruise and tour operators are eager to launch travel to the Caribbean's largest island. President Barack Obama raised their hopes by encouraging a dialogue with Cuba's communist regime and by removing restrictions on family visits by Cuban-Americans enacted by his predecessor.

But it is not assured that Congress will take the next step and repeal the Kennedy-era ban on travel, which remains a prickly political issue.

Borrowing a page from the Obama presidential campaign, Orbitz is trying to build grassroots support for opening travel to the island by appealing directly to the 14 million monthly visitors to its Web site.

"We want to organize our customers and other interested parties to reach out to Obama and other government officials," said Barney Harford, 37, president and chief executive of Orbitz.

Those who lobby via the new site will receive a $100 coupon toward a Cuba vacation. It would be redeemable if the travel ban is lifted and flights and tour packages can be sold legally by Orbitz, the second-largest online travel agency.

"There certainly will be some who position what Orbitz is doing as a crass example of corporate marketing at the expense of those in Cuba who are not free to travel, not free to have access to the Internet to voice their opinion," said John Kavulich, senior policy adviser for the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, which provides commercial information about Cuba.