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The crisis between the United States and Venezuela is starting to have a direct impact on international tourism.
The Russian operator PEGAS Touristik announced on Sunday the cancellation of the Moscow–Porlamar flight, scheduled for December 1, due to the "potential threat to the safety of civil aircraft" in Venezuelan airspace.
Instead, passengers will be transferred to the Cuban resort of Varadero, as the company informed its partner agencies.
"We inform you that the flight Moscow–Porlamar on December 1st has been canceled. Instead, a flight Moscow–Varadero is planned," stated the company's announcement, published by the bulletin of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR).
The decision comes just 24 hours after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the total closure of the airspace over Venezuela, citing national security reasons and the fight against drug trafficking.
Since then, several international airlines have suspended operations in the South American country, and Washington has warned about the risks of flying in the area due to the increase in military activity.
Cuba, the "replacement destination"
According to the General Director of PEGAS Touristik, Anna Podgornaya, all scheduled charter flights to Venezuela will be temporarily redirected to Varadero, the main tourist hub of the Cuban Caribbean.
Customers will be able to stay in "similar or higher-category" hotels, and those who choose to cancel their vacation will be able to keep their funds as a deposit for future trips.
"The resumption of the flight program to Venezuela is expected when the situation normalizes," Podgornaya indicated. Meanwhile, Russian tourists currently enjoying their vacations on Isla Margarita will be repatriated directly to Moscow through special flights operated by partner airlines.
Geopolitical and economic impact
The shift in tourist destination occurs within a regional context characterized by the military escalation of the United States, the pressure on the regime of Nicolás Maduro, and the rising diplomatic tensions.
The movement of Venezuelan government planes towards the border with Brazil —revealed by CNN Brasil this Saturday— has fueled speculation about possible escape plans or a reshuffling of chavista power.
Brazil, for its part, has expressed concern over the militarization of the Caribbean, although it maintains a neutral stance.
For Cuba, this diversion of flights represents an immediate benefit: an unexpected increase in Russian tourism in the peak season. However, it also reinforces its role as a political and economic refuge for strategic allies facing Western sanctions.
While Venezuela remains partially isolated from international air traffic, Varadero emerges as the safe alternative, solidifying the island as the primary destination for Russian tourism in the Caribbean—and as a new collateral scenario in the tension between Washington and Caracas.
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