Madrid/A “perfect storm has exploded in the hands of Meliá and Iberostar“, says This Wednesday The Spanish Economic Journal Five days In a hard article about the tourism disaster in Cuba. The note, which highlights the black exception of this country in the virtuous cycle in which the sector has entered worldwidehe points out that despite the bad occupation resultsthose two hoteliers – the ones that have the greatest presence on the island, with 33 and 20 hotels, respectively – “continue to redouble their commitment to continue and grow in Cuba.”
About Meliá, remember that he recorded in 2024 losses before taxes of four million euros, “the second most bulky in all the geographies in which it operates, only behind the United Kingdom, with a negative balance of 11.12 million euros.”
The Meliá indicators count in Cuba, “those who have shown worse performance in all countries where it operates,” is devastating: an occupation of 39.4% compared to a global average of 60%; A rate of 80.4 euros compared to a global average of 139.7 euros and income per available room, “the most important profitability indicator”, of 31.7 euros, almost a third compared to 83.8 euros on average.
Meliá’s indicators count in Cuba, “those who have shown worse in all countries where it operates,” is devastating
The contrast for this hotel is in its activity in Spain, where it earned 185.3 million euros, 70% of the benefit before taxes.
Of the other Mallorcan firm, Five days It highlights, as an example of the company’s efforts to continue investing on the island, its last hotel opened, the Iberostar Selection Havana, in the controversial K Torre K, that “has required an investment of 200 million euros by the Cuban government.” And it defines it as “a commitment that, for now, has not been endorsed with economic results.”
This was recognized to the newspaper belonging to the same media group as The country A Spanish businessman based on the island for more than two decades: “There are no tourists in Cuba and less to pay the prices of that hotel.”
However, apostille Five days With rawness, “both Miguel Fluxá and Gabriel Escarrer, maximum managers of Iberostar and Meliá, take advantage of any public appearance to underline their commitment to the Cuban government and the local economy in the face of future growth possibilities, once the US embargo softens and the supply of energy and food is normalized.”
The most recent data published by the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), corresponding to the first six months of 2025, continue to show the debacle of the sector in Cuba, far from the flourishing figures on the revenue of tourism worldwide reported by the World Travel and Tourism Council, which plans new records for this year, exceeding even the levels of 2019, before the Pandemics of COVID-19.
“Both Miguel Fluxá and Gabriel Escarrer take any public appearance to underline their commitment to the Cuban government”
The falls are “notable,” said the Cuban economist Pedro Monrealin four “crucial indicators”, especially the “low rate of occupation”, of only 21.5% (compared to 28.4% of the same period of the previous year). “Made millions invested,” the specialist resident in the United States on one of the items that, in effect, more money they receive on the island of the public coffers (almost 20% in the first months of this yearonly surpassed, and for the first time, for energy investment).
Along with this, there was the strong decline of international travelers. Until July, they arrived Just 1,123,987 international visitorswhich represented a 23.2% drop compared to 2024. The island has received 338,922 tourists less than last year, with a generalized setback in all traditionally issuing countries.
According to the ONEI semiannual report, between January and June of this year they did not reach one million (981,856), 25% less than in the same period of 2024 (1,309,655). Consequently, income collapsed 20.6% (almost 71 million pesos just over 56). Applying the rate of 24 pesos per dollar, it is a drop of 2,950,741,875 to 2,343,539,083 dollars.
The ONEI does not provide net income after deducting operating costs – very high in the tourism sector – but in the case of Cuba it is estimated that operating costs represent 70% of gross income, which would give a net income of 703 million dollars, in the best case.
That the income has dropped somewhat less than the arrival of tourists and overnight stays, on the other hand, they would indicate that tourists remain less on the island, but spend a little more. In 2025, each tourist has spent on average in Cuba 2,387 dollars, more than the 2,253 of the previous year.
