Government suspends the International Fair of Havana due to the impact of Hurricane Rafael on Expocuba

For the first time in the history of the Havana International Fair (FIHAV), the organizing committee decided to suspend the event's activities due to the impact of Hurricane Rafael, which affected the western part of the country.

The fair began on November 4 at the Expocuba exhibition center, despite the Cyclonic Alert in effect on the island. It brought together around 700 exhibitors from 63 countries, making it one of the country's major commercial platforms, and the regime did not want to postpone the event.

Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment (MINCEX), told the state press that the decision was made "for reasons of force majeure" after assessing the damage the cyclone caused at Expocuba.

Hurricane Rafael, a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, traversed the western region of the island, causing flooding, downed high-voltage towers, over 400 collapsed homes, damaging crops, and uprooting trees along its path.

At Expocuba, the cyclone particularly impacted the Central Pavilion and Pavilion 2. It also caused trees to fall and disrupted services for electricity, drinking water, communications, and internet access in the area.

The Cuban government assures that the goods displayed by the exhibitors were preserved and no losses of these items have been reported.

Despite the suspension of FIHAV 2024, the authorities from MINCEX and the Chamber of Commerce of Cuba are seeking alternatives to hold business meetings at venues such as the Hotel Nacional and Palco, so that foreign companies can fulfill their commitments before returning to their home countries.

The decision to relocate the meetings stems from the government's interest in ensuring the success of the planned business ventures, at a time when the Cuban economy is facing a severe crisis and is desperately trying to attract foreign investment.

FIHAV had managed to accomplish its agenda in the first two days, but the passage of the cyclone forced the cancellation of the scheduled meetings.

Pérez-Oliva Fraga announced that, looking ahead to future editions, the Organizing Committee will consider the possibility of moving the date of the fair to a different time of year, in order to avoid the hurricane season, which increasingly brings more intense events due to climate change.

This suspension sets a precedent in the history of FIHAV, a key event for the Cuban economy, and highlights the additional challenges the regime faces in its attempt to attract foreign investment amid an unprecedented economic and energy crisis.