The US government has announced that it is to ban group travel between the US and Cuba, effective today.

The move is designed to roll back on Obama-era legislation that had seen relations between the US and Cuba start to thaw.

Steven Mnuchin, US treasury secretary, said: “Cuba continues to play a destabilising role in the western hemisphere, providing a communist foothold in the region and propping up US adversaries in places like Venezuela and Nicaragua by fomenting instability, undermining the rule of law, and suppressing democratic processes.

“This administration has made a strategic decision to reverse the loosening of sanctions and other restrictions on the Cuban regime.

“These actions will help to keep US dollars out of the hands of Cuban military, intelligence, and security services.”

Royal Caribbean has cancelled its Cuba sailings.

“We are aware of the announcement and are analyzing the details to understand the impact on our itineraries. In the meantime, we are adjusting the itineraries of our June 5 and June 6 sailings, which will no longer stop in Cuba,” a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean said. “We are communicating with our guests about those changes. We will provide other updates as needed.”