HAVANA – Tourism in Cuba, one of the country’s main economic supports, continues its collapse under the management of the regime, with figures that confirm the worst crisis in the sector in more than a decade. In January 2026, the island received 184,833 international travelers, 5.9% less than in the same month of 2025 and the lowest level recorded in at least 13 years, excluding the pandemic period, according to official data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI).
The setback occurs after a year already marked by adverse results. In 2025, Cuba closed with just over 1.8 million foreign visitors, well below the official goal of 2.6 million, and far from the 2.2 million in 2024 and the 2.4 million in 2023, according to the regime’s own figures.
Although arrivals from Canada and Russia, the two main source markets, increased by 12% and 31%, respectively – with 99,727 Canadian and 15,688 Russian travelers – these increases failed to offset the sharp contraction in most markets. Increases were also recorded from Argentina (7,336 visitors) and China (3,460).
The collapse was especially marked among the Cuban community abroad, whose trips fell by more than 40%, to 12,574 people, as well as from the United States, with a reduction of 50.1%, to just 6,997 travelers. Significant decreases were also observed in Mexico, France, Spain and Colombia.
Crisis on the Island
The outlook for the coming months, in the middle of the high season, is not encouraging. The energy crisis and fuel shortage – aggravated by the collapse of the production system under the control of the regime – have led Canadian and Russian airlines to temporarily suspend their flights to the island. Added to this are warnings from several countries that have recommended their citizens not to travel to Cuba or to do so with extreme precautions.
The situation is also affected by the tension between Washington and Havana and by the accumulated consequences of the lack of fuel, factors that continue to affect the operation of the sector. The so-called “oil siege,” which the regime attributes to external factors, has even been pointed out by the United Nations Human Rights Office as contrary to international law, although the structural deterioration of the Cuban energy system is prior and profound.
For years, tourism was presented by the regime as the engine of economic recovery, due to its contribution to the gross domestic product and the inflow of foreign currency, along with remittances and professional services. However, the combination of economic crisis, energy collapse, deterioration of services, air route cuts and US sanctions has seriously eroded the destination’s competitiveness.
Authoritarian model
The current figures contrast sharply with the historical highs reached in 2018 (4.6 million visitors) and 2019 (4.2 million), in the context of the diplomatic rapprochement between the United States and Cuba and the flexibility of travel. Today, as Cuba sinks into a prolonged crisis under an exhausted authoritarian model, other Caribbean destinations such as Punta Cana and Cancún are registering historic visitor records after the pandemic.
The collapse of tourism confirms, once again, the impact of the economic failure of the Cuban regime and its inability to offer stability, basic services and confidence to international markets.
SOURCE: With information from EFE
