The fall of tourism in Cuba is unstoppable and, apparently, irreversible. Neither Russians, nor Chinese, nor Turks have been bitten twice for the reverse of a postcard that promises sun, beach and sandungueo, while hiding a reality of blackouts, shortage, boredom without limit, ill -treatment and gastronomic offers of poor quality
Havana.- That Varadero He is empty and spoiling is an opinion shared by national and foreign. It is enough to reach the famous spa to verify what is left: a dead city, hotels collapsing without maintenance perspectives in the short or medium term, and five stars resorts whose excellence has been shrugged to the category of three stars, with the incentive- in some cases- of a service personnel who strive to maintain comfortable and attractive facilities for customers.
The fall of tourism in Cuba is unstoppable and, apparently, irreversible. Neither Russians, nor Chinese, nor Turks have been bitten twice for the reverse of a postcard that promises sun, beach and sandungueo, while hiding a reality of blackouts, shortage, boredom without limit, ill -treatment and gastronomic offers of poor quality. In addition to the Cubans who still drag the resentment of having been private, for many years, the right to enjoy the hotels of their own country, and take a stranded handle willing to destroy everything, most visitors come from Latin American countries.
By the accent it is easy to recognize Argentines, Uruguayans, Mexicans and Colombians, who have given a Petic to Cuba as an advance, because if The strategy That tries to display the Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda, to take effect, it is expected that more natural ones are arrived in the region to try to relive the body of what could be, but it was not, nor will it be – at least under the domain of the PCC – “the locomotive of the Cuban economy”.
In his recent tour of countries in the area, the Cuban headline, desperate to reverse the situation, proposed from creating a Schengen area in Latin America, to somehow including Cuba in the travel itinerary of the potential attendees of the next FIFA World Cup, which will be developed between Mexico, the United States and Canada. He did not make clear how to specify his proposals because, obviously, he has not even considered them in depth. Granda went to fish, to delir in public as Delira Díaz-Canel before the National Assembly, making it clear that there is no plan to reposition the island as an attractive destination for international travelers. So much so that, a few days later, the minister himself acknowledged that the number of visitors has decreased due to shortage in the sector, a detail that contradicts the popular belief that for tourists there is everything.
It is no longer possible to blame the pandemic, or the sanctions of the Trump administration. In Cuba there is no food because nothing occurs and it is expensive to import it to supply the hotels, where it is queued to access the buffet table not because there is too much hunger, but because food ends quickly and guests prefer to ensure.
The shortage has reached the Varadero resorts, denounced by travelers who have felt cheated by the poor elaboration of food and the absence of tropical fruits, which is the minimum that is expected to be found in a hotel in a Caribbean country. Meanwhile, Cubadebate publica, and deletes after the furious citizen reaction in the comments section, the data- politically inconvenient- that the fall of tourism has left in agricultural production “surpluses that do not find an alternative internal market.”
They no longer manage to agree or lie. That kind of nonsense reveal that no one up there is thinking, and where nobody thinks is a risk to put money. It is not surprising that we are still waiting for the Russians to put the first stone of the “hotels built by Russians” that Granda announced in November 2024, after admitting that the objective of 200 thousand tourists of the Euroasy giant would not be attainable that year. Nor will it be, apparently, in 2025.
On those projects the minister did not advance dates or site. They were in the study phase, like everything related to investing in Cuba, because there are many partners who have left scalded. The revitalization of an industry in which the Cuban State has spent hundreds of millions of dollars while the population sinks into the worst crisis in their history, depends on foreign investments, but also on recovering credibility as a profitable, safe and pleasant destination. The frequent reports of assaults, robberies and all kinds of dissatisfactions have caused traditional issuing markets to persist down, and that “brothers” countries do not let themselves be convinced. Experience has shown that there is no propaganda capable of makeup the structural debacle of the Cuban system.
The new hope is Latin American tourism, a commitment that perhaps support the countries governed by politicians related to Castro continuity. But while Granda Hairy and Cubadebate lies, the most important tourist pole of the island languishes in the eyes of the few faithful who continue to return for their natural benefits. “At least the beach cannot destroy it,” a third -age client that the Iberostar International visits every year is consistent and that this time could not ride aquatic bicycle, because they have removed the metal ladder that allowed him to climb. Time will tell if the beautiful beach of Varadero can resist the neglect of the regime and the effects of the limited environmental culture of Cubans.
