Wish you were here. Update.

It all sounds a tad premature but it seems the Castro regime is pretty confident the US will lift the current ban on US tourists visiting the Communist-ruled island. Or rather, visiting and spending money.

The Cuban deputy Minister of Tourism, Oscar Gonzalez , has told Reuters that the regime is expecting as many as one million thrill-seeking Americans to visit in the first year after the lifting of the travel ban, which has been in place for over 40 years.

And while Cuba does not have the infrastructure required to handle such an influx, Gonzalez remains optimistic, telling reporters: "We have time to build the hotel capacity for the day that happens."

According to the report, the visitors are likely “to flood to Cuba to enjoy its pristine beaches, sip daiquiris at Ernest Hemingway's favourite bars and take a step back in time riding in vintage cars in a city that was once a Mafia playground”.

Doesn’t get better than that, does it?

And here is the clincher: Reuters says US tourists would provide “a needed shot in the arm” for Fidel Castro’s tourism industry, which experienced a 3.6 per cent drop in visitors in 2006.