HAVANA — Cuba received 328,608 international tourists in the first four months of the year, 55.8% less than in the same period of the previous year, after an April with only 30,551 visitors, according to data released this Friday by the National Office of Statistics and Information.
The figures confirm the collapse of tourism on the Caribbean island due to the difficulties derived from its serious economic crisis and the uncertainty created by pressure from Washington, which does not rule out military action against the country.
By country of origin, Canada contributed 125,444 people between January and April and Russia only 21,050, which represents year-on-year decreases of 63.8% and 56.7%, respectively, although all sending markets registered considerable falls (the smallest, those of Argentina and China, exceed 20%).
Visits from the Cuban community abroad, one of the pillars of the sector, also decreased significantly in the first four months of the year, by 41.2%, to 46,173 people, according to the ONEI.
Crisis upon crisis
Tourism, an essential sector of the Cuban economy, was already in crisis in 2025, when the worst figures were recorded since 2002 (not counting the years of the pandemic). US pressure on Cuba and, especially, the oil blockade have further burdened this industry.
Since January, the main air routes (from Canada and Russia), among others, have been canceled due to lack of fuel and many hotels have temporarily closed their doors due to lack of customers. Recently, the Spanish companies Iberia and World2Fly have advanced the progressive suspension of their frequencies.
The uncertainty about the evolution of geopolitical tensions between Washington and Havana, and the accumulated consequences of the lack of fuel on the island also have a negative impact on the prospects for tourism in Cuba.
The main factors behind the weakness of the sector are the serious economic and energy crisis suffered by the island – which has an impact on services and experience -, the cutting of air routes and US sanctions.
Tourism is fundamental to the economic recovery plans of the Cuban regime, due to its contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) and the inflow of foreign currency it represents, which is usually among the most important, along with professional services and remittances.
Displacement of tourism to other countries
The Caribbean country registered just over 1.8 million foreign visitors in 2025, compared to the government goal of 2.6 million. In 2024 there had been 2.2 million and in 2023, 2.4 million, according to official data.
The figures are far from the highs recorded in 2018 (4.6 million) and in 2019 (4.2 million), record numbers linked to the ‘thaw’ of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba in those years and the elimination of Washington’s restrictions on travel to the island.
Currently, the tourism situation in Cuba contrasts with that of similar destinations in the Caribbean region, such as Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and Cancún (Mexico), which are registering historic highs in visitors after the pandemic.
SOURCE: With information from EFE
