A young Cuban raised awareness on social media about the real conditions faced by those visiting the island, marked by power outages, viruses, and shortages of basic resources.
A Cuban user identified as @briana_matancera shared a video on TikTok aimed at people planning to travel to Cuba soon, in which she lists basic recommendations for coping with the stay amidst the energy and health crisis affecting the country.
"If you already have a ticket to come to Cuba in the coming days, stay here because I'm going to tell you what the essentials are that you need to bring for the best possible stay," the young woman starts off saying from a house on the island.
In his message, he warns that "there are many viruses circulating due to the mosquito," so he recommends carrying medications and, above all, "a lot of repellent," as during the blackouts "the mosquitoes will eat you alive."
It is also advised to travel with rechargeable fans, even "many rechargeable fans," lamps, power banks, and all types of devices that can operate without a direct connection to the electrical grid. "If you're going to a house, or to a rental house, or a relative's place, the power will likely go out unless they live in a prioritized circuit," he explained.
The content creator emphasized that this situation is not common in hotels located in tourist areas, where "the power doesn't usually go out [...] in the meantime, they have electricity 24/7, unless the National Electric System fails," referring to the SEN.
The video, which has garnered hundreds of interactions, sparked multiple reactions. While some users expressed gratitude for the information and praised it for sharing the reality of life on the island, others responded with sarcasm, stating that "it's better not to go at all."
The testimony of @briana_matancera adds to a wave of viral warnings from Cubans and foreign influencers regarding the current conditions for traveling to Cuba.
In June, a young Cuban resident in Matanzas said on TikTok that “the first thing you need to know, the first thing you have to bring, is a suitcase… and not necessarily with clothes but filled with dollars”, referring to the high prices and constant power outages.
From Europe, Italian influencer Dario Fattore shared a list of essential warnings after his experience on the island, where he reported having to sleep in a hotel infested with cockroaches and lacking running water, as well as warning about shortages, health risks, and the need to use a VPN to connect to the internet.
The Spanish influencer Laura Méndez, for her part, recorded a video during her visit to the island in which she warned that even the smallest tourist expense ultimately ends up “financing that disgusting Cuban dictatorship”, which generated both applause and questions.
These warnings come amid a sustained decline in tourism, after the island recorded a loss of more than 330,000 travelers compared to the previous year, according to official figures.
The alert from @briana_matancera takes on special significance in the current energy landscape of the island, where this month of October has commenced with massive blackouts due to a generation deficit of nearly 1,900 MW, affecting millions of households across Cuba, including residential circuits and key urban areas such as Havana.
The combination of breakdowns in thermoelectric plants, a lack of fuel, and overdue maintenance has left the National Electric System in technical collapse, unable to meet the minimum demand of the population. This situation not only worsens living conditions but also increases public discontent and raises doubts about the viability of any tourist experience outside of major state-run hotels.
Tourism, one of the main sources of foreign currency for the Cuban government, is facing increasing rejection from visitors and emigrated Cubans who denounce the precarious conditions in the country, including widespread blackouts, sanitary issues, and decaying infrastructure.
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