The Cuban economist Pedro Monreal harshly criticized this week the official discourse regarding domestic tourism on the island, stating that the low wages and pensions of the average Cuban make it impossible for them to access that offering.
In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Monreal criticized the title of a recent Mesa Redonda state broadcast: “Cuban tourism: The destination is you,” pointing out that, rather than a realistic public policy, it resembles a “bolero” (a play on words referencing the well-known bolero by José Antonio Méndez ‘La gloria eres tú’).
"That national tourism whose destination they say is 'you' cannot be afforded with 'your' salary or 'your' pension," Monreal stated. His words are supported by official data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI).
A graph published by the economist showed that, in the first quarter of 2025, the average income per domestic tourist in tourist entities was 2.1 times higher than the average monthly salary in the state sector, a ratio that has remained consistent since 2024, although slightly lower than the 2.5 recorded in 2023.
This gap highlights that the tourism offerings in Cuba remain unattainable for most citizens who rely on their wages or a retirement pension.
Persistent decline of national tourism
Another chart released by Monreal reveals the extent of the decline in national tourism: in the first quarter of 2025, only 310,318 Cubans accessed tourist services, a drastic drop compared to the 596,221 recorded in the same period of 2022.
The hotel occupancy rate also dropped from 9.7% in 2022 to just 5.9% in 2025, a figure that reflects the collapse of domestic demand.
Despite official propaganda, domestic tourism is unable to fill the gap left by the decline in international tourism.
According to figures from the ONEI, the country received only 991,103 travelers by April 2025, which is 78.9% of the total recorded in the same period of 2024. Overall hotel occupancy remains below 25%, and tourism revenue decreased by 21.5% in the first quarter of the year.
An exclusive tourism model
The regime's discourse, which attempts to portray tourism as a driver of development and inclusion, clashes with reality.
For Monreal, the current model "requires additional income" outside of salary or state pension, such as remittances or informal income, which "limits the clientele and the scale of that market." In other words, tourism in Cuba has not only shrunk but has also become elitist, inaccessible to the average worker.
The situation becomes increasingly dramatic in a context of widespread precariousness. A recent video, circulated from Santiago de Cuba, showed entire streets in darkness, while hotels such as the iconic Casa Granda remained fully illuminated.
The scene, recurring in the "paradisiacal island," has become a vivid metaphor for the regime's priorities, which assures electricity to tourist enclaves while the population endures outages of up to 20 hours a day.
Million-dollar investments, scarce benefits
While public services are collapsing, the Cuban government, through GAESA, continues to invest millions in hotels and tourist complexes.
Only in 2024, investments in tourism-related activities exceeded 36.8 billion Cuban pesos, compared to just 1.977 billion allocated to public health and 2.645 billion for agriculture.
The contrast between the opulence of luxury hotels like Torre K-23 in Havana and the obsolescence of the thermoelectric plants, without proper maintenance, has sparked increasingly intense criticism.
No recovery in sight
With an increasingly adverse environment —energy crisis, lack of air connectivity, deterioration of services, and rampant inflation— Cuban tourism is facing a structural crisis.
The goal of receiving 2.6 million international visitors by 2025 seems unrealistic, having attracted only 28.5% of that figure in the first four months of the year.
Monreal's words not only reflect a technical critique, but also the sentiment of a population that feels excluded. Because in today's Cuba, “you are the destiny” as proclaimed by the Mesa Redonda sounds less like an invitation and more like a reggaeton rendition of a bolero sung by La Cintumbare.
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