In fact, the Cuban press reported this week that 30 American scientists were refused permission to attend a medical conference in eastern Cuba this month.

The so-called ``people to people'' licenses date back to the Clinton administration, when special travel permission categories existed for academic and cultural visits. That meant some groups did not have to apply for a special visa every time they traveled, which gave rise to a cottage industry that specialized in taking special-interest groups to visit the hemisphere's last communist regime.

But Bush put a stop to the practice, which experts say was widely abused by tourists who visited Cuba's beaches under the guise of academic or cultural enrichment. Advocates for increased relations between the two countries say the trips are necessary to break down barriers between the two long hostile nations.

``There was a general policy to obstruct all people to people contacts between Americans and Cuba,'' said attorney Robert Muse, an expert on the U.S. trade embargo. ``Virtually any application submitted was denied during that period. While there may be more travel going on now, what Obama has not done is return to licenses.''

In 2007, the Bush administration authorized just seven Americans to go to Cuba for public performances or athletic competitions.

The State Department now says they are permitting performances, but are looking at factors such as ticket prices.

Colombian rocker Juanes met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in May to promote his idea for a ``concert for peace'' in Havana Sept. 20. Because the concert was free and open to the public, the State Department allowed American musicians to participate.

ACADEMIA

Obama also ended Bush's practice of stonewalling Cuban academics traveling to the United States to attend conferences.

``Cooperation in academia is very important, and so Cuban professors felt very limited before,'' said Cuban political scientist Rafael Hernández, who got a visa to attend Brown Campbell's conference, and will be a visiting professor this semester at the University of Texas.

``Professors resented not being able go forward with that. It's too soon to tell whether there's been a real change,'' Hernández said.

Hernández said he twice got visas under the Bush administration and was denied ``various times.'' He had last visited the United States in 2006.

Critics say the recent boom in travel demonstrates that Obama doesn't need an official policy change offering special licenses.

``The law permits all that without a change,'' said pro-embargo lobbyist Mauricio Claver-Carone. ``There is purposeful travel. The administration has been more lax in authorizing travel than the previous administration was, but that fits the pattern with Democrats.''

But activists have urged Obama to do more by officially changing the rules, not just interpreting them differently.

SMALL STEPS

``Obama is being very cautious,'' said Silvia Wilhelm, who heads the Cuban American Commission for Family Rights. ``I don't know why they haven't just said, `these are the new licenses.' I think they want to be careful in this arena, and let's face it, this arena is a minefield.''

Since Obama has already offered Cuban Americans the right to travel freely and send money, he is probably waiting for the Castro government to make similar concessions before he allows more liberalized travel for all Americans, she said.

``This is not a rumba. This is a danzón: very small steps,'' Wilhelm said. ``Now we have to see if our dance partner will also take small steps.''