The trend that marked the arrival of tourists to Cuba throughout 2025 did not vary with the start of the so-called high season (November and December). Thus, the sector closed the year with the worst numbers of the last four recorded years, and nothing points towards a reversible future.
According to him report published by the National Office of Statistics and Information (Onei)at the end of the last month of last year the number of foreign visitors was below 2 million.
1/3 It was known that it would happen: 2025 was a terrible year for international tourism in Cuba. The number of tourists fell 17.8%, registering 1.8 million, a figure lower than the 2.2 million in 2024 pic.twitter.com/M0XD1TtsDc
— Pedro Monreal (@pmmonreal) February 2, 2026
Compared to the previous year, when 2.2 million were registered, the drop is around 17.8%, remaining at 1,810,663 tourists, the publication states.
In monthly terms, the marked differences extended from 2023 and in no month were the levels reached in 2024 achieved, with a more marked separation during the first semester, which closed with a year-on-year drop of around 25%.
First semester closes with 25% fewer tourists than in the same period of 2024
In the recently concluded year, the Canadian market once again remained the pillar of the sector on the island, as just over 754 thousand visitors arrived from that nation, which represents a reduction of slightly more than 100 thousand compared to the previous year.
In general sense, it was the trend in all issuing markets. The Cuban community abroad (228,091), Russia (131,882) and the United States (110,005) were the only ones that surpassed the 100,000 barrier, but all with considerable losses.
No comeback… again
By 2025, the authorities in the sector planned to reach 2.6 million tourists, a figure that, although far from the levels reached before the pandemic, seemed hopeful in order to oxygenate an economy mired in one of its worst historical crises.
Given what happened during the first semester – which includes the final stretch of the high season – those plans became a utopia, forcing a recalibration with an eye toward the end of the year.
Tourism remains about 25 percentage points below the government objective for the year
However, the Onei report confirmed that it was not possible to reach the 1.9 million planned in December by the head of the Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP), Joaquín Alonso.
When taking stock before the National Assembly of People’s Power (ANPP), the minister recognized that, due to “the complex circumstances” faced by the island’s former economic engine, this sector would generate approximate income of 917.5 million dollars, 75% of what was expected.
With the closing statistics at hand, it is proven that 2025 was the year with the worst results in more than two decades, not counting the three most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to official data, Cuba registered the arrival of 4.6 million tourists in 2018, and a year later it stood at 4.2, record figures closely linked to the “thaw” of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba and the elimination of Washington restrictions on travel to the island.
Very dark horizon
The main causes of the weakness of the Cuban tourism sector have been the serious economic and energy crisis that the country is suffering – and which has an impact on services and experience -, aggravated by the sanctions imposed by the United States Government.
Nothing points to the possibility of a change in circumstances in the immediate future, since the increase in pressure exerted by the Trump Administration – which includes the cut off oil supply to the island– seem destined to worsen the situation.
The Cuban Government has tried to explore various avenues in order to rescue the sector, which is far surpassed by similar destinations in the Caribbean region, such as Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and Cancún (Mexico).
One million Canadian tourists to cushion the decline in Cuban tourism
A good part of the initiatives have been aimed at the main emitters, such as Canada, although the goal of reaching one million tourists from that country in 2026 seems very distant for now.
The strategy has also been focused on European visitorsspecifically for those coming from countries such as Spain and Italy, and which have also been affected by the route adjustments adopted by airlines to make their operations sustainable.
