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While hundreds of families in Holguín continue to sleep without a safe roof over their heads, the Cuban government celebrates the reopening of tourism in that province of the country.
According to the specialized outlet Travel Market, tourism activities in Holguín resumed on November 5, with the arrival of the first commercial flights from Canada, operated by Air Transat and WestJet, at Frank País García International Airport.
Gihana Galindo, director of the Cuba Tourism Office, stated that "the recovery efforts were completed in record time" and that the hotels in Guardalavaca, Pesquero, and Esmeralda are already prepared to welcome visitors "with the renowned hospitality of the Cuban people."
On social media, the airport itself celebrated the return of Canadian airlines with music and smiles. “The first hosts are ready to welcome you to #CubaÚnica!” the entity wrote on Facebook, accompanying their words with photos of the newly arrived tourists.
But while tourism is being promoted, normalcy still does not exist in dozens of communities in Holguín.
Just a few kilometers from the resorts, in Cacocum, San Germán, and Mayarí, the passage of Hurricane Melissa left a devastating scene with flooded houses, dead animals, destroyed furniture, and families who lost everything.
The activist Norge Ernesto Díaz Blak (Noly Black) showed in a video how the Cauto River swept away more than 600 homes in the Yaguabo community. “This is all I have,” a woman said while holding a small backpack. “There’s no mattress, no stove, nothing.”
In San Germán, two young mothers are trying to survive after losing their homes. Their neighbors and emigrants have organized spontaneous collections of food, clothing, and building materials. “These people need a home, not just 10,000 pesos and to be forgotten,” wrote a user on Facebook.
In Mayarí, the case of Pilar, an elderly woman who lost her home and spends nights crying among the ruins of her house, moved hundreds of Cubans both inside and outside the country. “Where am I going to live, dear? I spend the whole day crying,” she says in a video that went viral.
Official promises and a painful reality
The leader Miguel Díaz-Canel assured days ago that "no one will be left to fend for themselves" during the recovery, and that "more than 120,000 Cubans remain protected." However, the images circulating from Holguín and other parts of eastern Cuba contradict that narrative.
While the State insists on showcasing efficiency and control, the population faces the tragedy with their own means, amid blackouts exceeding a deficit of 1,100 MW and an economy lacking the resources to support reconstruction.
However, in light of the delay in state assistance, solidarity among Cubans has once again proven to be the true lifeline. From Miami to Havana, aid groups are collecting money, clothing, and medicines for those affected in the east. Neighbors, emigrants, and anonymous donors are doing what the state has not done, which is to stand by those who have lost everything.
The reopening of tourism, presented as a symbol of "recovery," contrasts with a reality that cannot be hidden, as in Holguín, while hotels prepare cocktails, there are families still without drinking water or a mattress to sleep on.
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