The government promotes Cuba as a tourist destination despite the energy crisis and shortages.

In the midst of the worst economic crisis Cuba has faced in decades, with constant blackouts, severe food shortages, and the still incalculable damage from Hurricane Oscar, the government continues to promote the country as a unique tourist destination.

The Santiago de Cuba branch of Cuba Travel affirmed this Wednesday on Facebook that the country "continues to be one of the safest and most welcoming destinations in the world."

The statement is implausible for many, given the sharp contrast between the image of stability that the government tries to project and the reality faced by the Cuban population.

In the comments section, people have debunked the post.

Dayi Torres Rivero noted: "Please, don’t be embarrassed to put something like this. Even the hotels don’t have what tourists need."

"Seriously? A completely shut down country is a safe destination... they need to see that," pointed out the internet user Taty Tatiana.

For her part, Isabel Infanzon called Cuba Travel liars: “Cuba is not safe even for us Cubans.”

After the collapse of the National Electric System last Friday, Canadian tourist Jonathon Renko found himself stranded in Cuba and expressed his desperation to return home after experiencing firsthand the constant blackouts that leave the island without electricity.

Renko recounted his experience to Global News and warned about the magnitude of the crisis and how his expectations of enjoying a vacation were thwarted by the energy situation.

He was just one of the many tourists who experienced firsthand the reality that Cubans suffer.

"Logically, we came on vacation, to enjoy, to get to know, and well, well, it went badly for us," declared the Mexican Roberto Jiménez to AFP, who traveled to the island with his partner and friends.

“Not even going out, we just looked out and saw it was very dark,” he commented, referring to a failed attempt to experience the nightlife of the Cuban capital.

But before the peak of the current energy crisis, tourists who have arrived in Cuba have reported on social media the problems they face while traveling in the country.

Francisco Sosa, a Mexican travel content creator, warned other tourists planning to go to Cuba about the shortage of potable water available in the stores on the island.

"If you go to Cuba, when you arrive try to buy a lot of water for your stay, we faced shortages and walked for hours to get it," Sosa advised in a video posted on TikTok.