Blairsville, GA —Dan Easton, the owner/broker of Three Springs Realty, took part in a 20-person delegation that visited Havana, Cuba June 27-July 1, 2015. The trip focused on investigating political and economic changes, as U.S.-Cuban relations resume after a break of nearly 55 years.

Easton traveled with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Atlanta City Council person Kwanza Hall, representatives from Delta Air Lines, the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce of Atlanta, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, and several other Atlanta business representatives, in a delegation organized by the World Affairs Council of Atlanta and led by Ambassador Charles Shapiro. In addition, media representatives from WSB-TV in Atlanta and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution also took the trip. Easton was briefly interviewed by WSB-TV.

While in Havana, Dan met with Cuban officials, independent business owners, the Catholic Archdiocese, academics and the European Union ambassador to Cuba. The delegation met with Jeff Delaurentis in the house, who had been the U.S. Ambassador’s residence up until 1961. When relations officially resume in late July, Delaurentis will become the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires (acting ambassador).

“Cuba is a possible new emerging market in many ways,” explained Dan Easton, who also noted the nation imports most of its goods, including agricultural products from the U.S. and chicken from Georgia. “”I do both incoming and outgoing international real estate and wanted to check whether it could be a new market destination both for Americans interested in Cuba and Cubans that might be interested in Georgia.””

Easton has long been interested in international real estate. He is one of only seven metro Atlanta agents to belong to the International Real Estate Federation and is one of only 22 agents in Georgia to hold the Certified International Property Specialist designation. Easton is also a Resort & Second-home Property Specialist (RSPS) and is licensed in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.

Easton says he especially enjoyed going to the workshop of Julio Alvarez, a private businessman who restores classic Chevy vehicles from the 1950s. Unfortunately, Cuban law prohibits foreigners from buying these cars. Some 80 percent of all cars on the road in Cuba are from the 1950s so, to an outsider visiting, it is a bit like being in a time warp.

“What I took away from this trip is that Cuba has huge potential, with some internal issues. Their infrastructure is crumbling—. Three buildings a day fall in Havana from lack of maintenance. Their government is being led by older mindsets, people in their 70s and 80s. However, there are glimmers of hope, such as construction in Mariel Harbor to create a free trade zone and deepening that harbor for larger ships to enter.”

With Delta Air Lines working to start a direct flight from Atlanta to Havana later this year and the recent announcement that Carnival Cruise Lines will begin cruising there, the lines of communication and trade are clearly opening up between the two nations.