The opening of the Domina Marina Varadero contrasts with the official recognition of a serious breach of the tourism plan.
MIAMI, United States. – The Italian chain Domina Hotels Group began receiving clients this December at the Domina Marina Varadero hotel, a five-star facility with more than 400 rooms that will be operated together with the Cuban tourism corporation Gaviota, part of the military conglomerate. GAESAat a time when the Government itself admits that tourism will close 2025 well below its official goals.
The opening, presented as a bid to attract European tourism, especially Italian, contrasts with the official recognition of a strong non-compliance with the tourism plan. According to figures Disclosed by the Minister of Economy and Planning, Joaquín Alonso Vázquez, the sector’s income in 2025 would be 917.4 million dollars, equivalent to 75.8% of what was expected, while the arrival of visitors would be around 1.9 million, 73.1% of the annual goal.
Marina Varadero dominates is promoted as a high-end resort with four swimming pools, gym, spa, tennis court, kids’ club and a convention center with eight rooms, as well as a gazebo for weddings. The complex is located within an ecological reserve, about 300 meters from the beach and about 40 minutes from the Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport, and offers views of the Marina Gaviota and the Hicacos peninsula.
The commercial orientation of the hotel is aimed at the family segment and the so-called nautical tourism. Press reports describe that the marina associated with the complex would have capacity for nearly 1,200 boats and would have 13 pontoons for mooring, as well as services for boaters and fans of fishing and diving.
Although Domina is the international brand that manages the operation, the local partner is Gaviota, the largest hotel operator in the country and one of the entities sanctioned by the United States Department of State.
In parallel with the inauguration, the debate on the Cuban tourism model has been reactivated due to the collapse of results. In an analysis released by Reporturthe Cuban economist Omar Everleny proposed expanding the space of the private sector in the tourism industry and eliminating restrictions that limit the participation of MSMEs, in addition to questioning the “all-inclusive” hotel scheme, to which he attributes an effect of confinement of spending within the facilities and a smaller spillover to the local economy.
From the official speech, the Government insist in which 2026 should focus on “recovering” tourism. In his presentation of the economic plan for next year before the National Assembly, Joaquín Alonso Vázquez included the tourism objective of receiving 2.2 million visitors in 2026, a figure higher than the official estimate of 2025.
