JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Cigar-loving travelers won't have to hide their Cubans in their luggage anymore.
Tobacco products from Cuba are among the goods allowed under new trade normalization rules that President Barack Obama announced Wednesday.
Travelers will be able to bring home $100 worth of cigars, and the rules are changing for travel itself.
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Cuban cigars were made illegal for Americans in 1962 during the Kennedy administration.
Now travelers can legally bring $400 worth of Cuban goods into the country, and $100 dollars of that can be tobacco or alcohol.
President Obama also announced that the rules will change about actually traveling to Cuba. One local travel agent said the announcement has sparked a lot of interest.
"There's so much mystic and so much mystery about Cuba, people are going to be calling me asking me to go there," travel agent Scott Lara said.
Lara said he thinks this is going to be a huge win for business in the U.S. Hotel chains here are looking at expanding to Cuba, and several airlines have been operating charter flights to Cuba for several years.
"This is a win-win for Cuba, but for American travelers, they are going to be able to go there and bring back cigars and other things," Lara said.
While travel rules are being loosened, travel is still only allowed for certain reasons, like family visits, professional research, religious activities, support for the Cuban people, humanitarian projects and educational activities.
But right now, general tourist travel remains banned, so you still can't just book a vacation to the island.