A young Cuban resident in Matanzas has sparked a strong controversy on social media after posting a video on TikTok in which she advises against traveling to Cuba, claiming that the economic crisis, constant blackouts, and scarcity of resources make any authentic tourist experience unviable.
"The first thing you need to know, that you have to bring, is a suitcase... and not exactly with clothes, my dear, but filled with dollars," the young woman states in a video that has garnered over 13 thousand reactions. "Here, the prices are like in Dubai, and most importantly: rechargeable devices, fans, lamps, portable chargers... because there's never any electricity here," she warns in a sarcastic and straightforward tone.
According to the account, tourists arriving on the island must be prepared not only to spend large sums but also to stock up as if they were going to a war zone. “Mainly, if you have the opportunity to bring everything canned, because as I mentioned before, there is never any power. So you run the risk of all the food you buy going bad,” she points out. And she adds: “If you get sick here, even if it's just a cold, there is no medicine available.”
The young woman also questions the dining experience in the country. “If you want to go out to dinner at a private restaurant, you have to know that you might end up spending half of all the money you brought in your suitcase,” she warns. However, she acknowledges an exception: “If you have the chance, you can go to a hotel in Varadero, and there you will have a wonderful time: there’s electricity, food, a pool, internet…” Nevertheless, she makes it clear that this is not the Cuba that most Cubans experience. “I’ve shared my opinion with you… so now you can decide what you want to do,” she concludes.
The video has sparked a flood of comments on TikTok. Many users applaud her for her sincerity and courage, expressing that her words reflect the harsh reality of millions of Cubans. Comments like “Thank you for speaking the truth, I no longer want to go,” “You really don’t hold back, thank you for warning us,” and “The truth hurts, but it needs to be said” have been frequent.
Others, on the other hand, criticize what they perceive as a contradiction between his discourse and his appearance in the video. "You have appliances, nice clothes, and food," "It seems like you don't live in the same Cuba that you're talking about," and "That's negative propaganda against your own country," were some of the harshest responses.
Some sought to nuance the discussion by highlighting that the tourism experience is different from the daily life of Cubans. Several stated that during their visits to the island, they did not encounter any of the difficulties described by Sheyla and that "there's nothing lacking in the hotels." Others acknowledged the scarcity but argued that "if you're going to help a family, the trip is worth it." There were also those who defended tourism as a way to support individuals rather than the state, and others who simply lamented the country's deterioration.
Sheyla's testimony adds to a wave of recent viral complaints. In early June, the Spanish influencer Laura Méndez posted a video that generated significant attention, in which she stated that “Cuba does not need more tourists, but freedom, justice, and truth.” From her experience on the island, Méndez denounced that “while you are in a five-star hotel, there are Cubans queuing for eight hours for bread,” and described the country as “an open-air prison.”
In the middle of the month, another testimony from exile reinforced this perspective. Robelcasa, a Cuban residing in the United States, reacted to those who claim that in Cuba "there is everything" and responded: "There is no toothpaste, there are no factories, there is no water, there is no electricity, there is no dignity." "If you don't have a relative to send you food, you have nothing," he concluded, in a video that was also widely shared.
In all cases, the messages converge on a central idea: the tourist image promoted by the Cuban regime conceals a deep, structural crisis that is becoming increasingly visible thanks to social media. For many, traveling to Cuba without knowing this reality is to turn a blind eye to a situation of social emergency. And Sheyla's video not only verbalizes that tension but also makes it viral with a phrase that is already circulating on thousands of profiles: “Don’t come to Cuba if you don’t want to take home a suitcase full of frustrations.”
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