U.S. vacations in Cuba still come with hangovers from Trump's sanctions

FILE PHOTO: Local musicians wait for tourists in Holguin, Cuba, June 11, 2016. Picture taken June 11, 2016. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini/File Photo

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba opens its borders next week signaling new opportunity for pandemic-weary travelers and the island's tourism industry, but for U.S. citizens getting there requires jumping through hoops like never before, according to the heads of eight U.S. tour agencies.

U.S. President Donald Trump ended cruise ship dockings, reduced flights to Havana and eliminated them altogether to the outlying provinces. His administration declared most hotels, bus and other Cuban tour services off limits because they were owned by the military, and made financial transactions more difficult in general, measures that remain in place under President Joe Biden.