Havana/The closure of the Havanatur office in France, as of last January 1, works as a precise postcard of the collapse that Cuba is going through. The main state tourism marketer stopped operating after being unable to pay the mandatory insurance that allowed it to operate in the French market, a basic inability that led it to declare itself insolvent. From the outside, it is a lowered blind; from within, the confirmation that the Cuban tourism model ran out of oxygen.
The blow comes at a particularly delicate moment. The high season advances with figures in the red and confirms that tourism continues to lose ground. Cuba closed 2025 with around 1.9 million visitors, well below the modest 2.6 million expected by the Government.
A decisive factor was added to this setback in 2025: the multiple epidemic spread throughout the country of the chikungunya and dengue viruses, in addition to covid. The deterioration of hygienic conditions – marked by the accumulation of garbage, the shortage of drinking water and prolonged blackouts – has aggravated an already critical health situation and has once again exposed a health system without medicines, supplies or sufficient personnel.
The international response did not take long. On December 12, Spain updated its health alert and recommended refraining from traveling to the Island without prior vaccination against the feared chikungunya, in addition to warning about the precariousness of medical facilities. Other diplomatic advisories advised taking extreme precautions, carrying complete first aid kits and purchasing extensive medical insurance, warnings that for many travelers function as a final point in the decision process.
The situation has affected the main source of international travelers to Cuba, Canada, which in 2025 sent 20% fewer tourists to the Island. The regional panorama has generated the feeling among Canadians that it is not a good time to visit this part of the Caribbean.
Canada, the main source of travelers, sent 20% fewer tourists to the Island in 2025
The recent military escalation in Venezuela and the capture of Nicolás Maduro by US forces introduced a new factor of unrest in the region. Although the official warnings were concentrated in Venezuelan territory, airlines such as Air Canada are offering facilities to modify itineraries to several nearby destinations, and agencies reported travelers rethinking their plans in the face of uncertainty. Regional security specialists agree that the strong military presence in the Caribbean and the unpredictability of the political scenario increase the perception of risk, even in areas traditionally considered safe.
Compared to Cuba, places like the Riviera Maya, in Mexico or Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, appear as safer options. The attraction is no longer just the beach, but the certainty that the vacation will not be marked by blackouts, shortages or health alerts.
This was explained by Catalina and Nicolás Méndez, a Mexican couple who spent New Year’s Eve in a hotel in Punta Cana. In statements to 14ymediosaid that they evaluated the possibility of traveling to Cuba, but discarded the idea. “We checked the prices because we thought it was going to be cheaper than the Dominican Republic, but it wasn’t. That’s why we decided to come, because things with Cuba scare us a little, and even more so with all the chaos in Venezuela,” they said.
While neighboring destinations report high occupancy and expansion of air routes, in Cuba luxury hotels coexist with cities without a stable water supply, mountains of garbage and hospitals without resources.
