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Lorri Krebs
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Dr. Lorri Krebs, Professor and Chair of Geography and Sustainability at Salem State University, was featured in Newsweek for her expertise and analysis of a major U.S. Supreme Court ruling involving Cuba, cruise tourism, and confiscated property claims.
The article focused on Havana Docks Corp. v. Royal Caribbean Cruises, a closely watched case involving cruise lines that used port facilities in Havana after the properties had been seized by the Cuban government following the 1959 revolution. The Supreme Court’s decision revived claims against several major cruise companies and may have lasting implications for tourism operators, international business, and companies with ties to Cuban infrastructure.
Krebs was interviewed and quoted by Newsweek on the significance of the ruling for cruise lines and other tourism-related businesses.
“The ruling is indeed significant because it reinforces the legal reach of the Helms-Burton Act and signals that companies operating in Cuba cannot assume they are insulated from liability simply because their activities were previously permitted or politically encouraged by the U.S. government,” Krebs told Newsweek.
As a scholar of tourism, sustainability, and economic geography, Krebs brings a distinctive lens to the case. Her work examines how tourism operates within larger systems of infrastructure, policy, place, history, and economic development. In the Cuba ruling, she sees a powerful example of how tourism is shaped not only by consumer demand and destination appeal, but also by law, geopolitics, and unresolved historical claims.
“This is exactly the kind of issue that shows why tourism must be studied as more than an industry,” Krebs said. “Tourism connects people and places, but it also relies on infrastructure, investment, political relationships, and legal frameworks. When those systems shift, the impacts can be significant.”
At Salem State University, Professor Krebs helps students explore these connections through courses in tourism, sustainability, economic geography, climate change, and global studies. Her teaching emphasizes applied learning and real-world analysis, preparing students to understand how global forces affect communities, industries, and destinations.
Krebs appearance in Newsweek underscores Salem State’s growing public voice in conversations about tourism, sustainability, and global change. Her expertise helps bridge academic research, industry practice, and public understanding at a time when travel and tourism are increasingly shaped by political, environmental, and economic uncertainty.
For students, colleagues, and the broader community, the Newsweek feature offers a clear example of Salem State faculty contributing meaningful expertise to national conversations. Newsweek Article Link