Havana, (EFE).- The Cuban government has started closing some hotels and transferring tourists to other facilities as part of measures adopted in response to the oil siege imposed by the United States, sources in the sector confirmed to EFE on Saturday.
Vice Prime Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga stated Friday on state television that «a plan has been designed for tourism to reduce energy consumption, consolidate tourist facilities, and make the most of the high season currently underway» in the country.
Pérez-Oliva, who is also the Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, did not specify details of this «consolidation» of the tourism infrastructure. However, sources who preferred to remain anonymous told EFE that hotels began closing on Friday, and international tourists are being relocated to other centers.
This primarily affects some tourist facilities located in the western resort town of Varadero and the islets in the north of the island.
Major hotel chains operating in Cuba include the Spanish Meliá and Iberostar, and the Canadian Blue Diamond, among others.
Tourism Declining
The tourism sector in Cuba, once considered an engine of the economy, confirmed its crisis in 2025, recording its lowest number of international visitors (1.8 million) since 2002, excluding the years affected by COVID-19.
The figure did not come as a surprise (in the first half of the year, the hotel occupancy rate dropped by seven percentage points annually to 21.5%), but it confirms the steep decline in tourism over the past seven years.
Canada, with 754,010 visitors, and Russia, with 131,882, were the two main source markets last year, according to official data, but both saw year-on-year drops of 12.4% and 29%, respectively.
The decline began after 2018, when the island reached its historical record of 4.7 million tourists in one year. Cuba had been benefiting from the «thaw» in relations with the United States under President Barack Obama.
Years later, the situation worsened due to the measures implemented by his successor, Donald Trump, during his first term. Sanctions were compounded by the pandemic (which froze the sector for nearly two years), the severe economic and energy crisis gripping the country (which impacts services and the tourist experience), and the reduction of air routes.
Tourism is fundamental to the Cuban government’s economic recovery plans due to its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the foreign currency it generates, which usually ranks among the most important sources, alongside professional services and remittances.
Anti-Crisis Plan
Cuba’s severe energy crisis, ongoing since mid-2024, is largely attributable to the frequent breakdowns of its aging thermoelectric infrastructure and a critical shortage of the foreign currency required to purchase imported fuel for smaller-scale power generation.
The US military operation in Caracas on Jan. 3 earlier this year dealt a blow to a key regional ally for Havana and meant the end of a vital energy supply for the island.
Subsequently, US President Donald Trump escalated pressure by signing an executive order on January 29th, threatening tariffs on countries that sell oil to the island.
To tackle this scenario, the government launched an emergency plan for the fuel shortage, which also includes rationing fuel sales, prioritizing remote work, and implementing a hybrid system for classes in universities.
This anti-crisis package references the «directives» of former President Fidel Castro during the so-called Special Period, named for the severe depression following the collapse of the Soviet bloc.
Announcing the plan on Thursday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel revived the concept of «Option Zero,» the survival plan introduced in the nineties to cope with a scenario of «zero oil.»
This involved extreme rationing, the use of animal traction, charcoal for cooking, non-motorized transport, and food self-sufficiency. EFE
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