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International tourism in Cuba fell again in 2025, closing the year with its worst December in four years, marking another blow to an economy already suffocated by structural crisis, declining purchasing power, and a loss of confidence among international travelers.
According to the official figures from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), the country received a total of 2,604,092 travelers by December 2025, representing just 86.6% of the total reached in the same period of the previous year.
In absolute terms, there are more than 400,000 fewer visitors than in 2024. Of that total, 1,810,663 were international tourists, an even more severe contraction: 82.2% compared to 2024, which equates to a loss of nearly 400,000 visitors.
The Cuban economist Pedro Monreal described the outcome as "terrible for international tourism in Cuba."
In a thread posted on social media on February 2, 2026, the specialist warned that the sector experienced a contraction of 17.8% during the year, with only 1.8 million tourists, down from the 2.2 million recorded the previous year. “Cuban tourism is struggling to recover,” summarized Monreal.
The month of December, traditionally the start of the high season, clearly reflected the magnitude of the problem. It was the worst December since 2021, with a level of international arrivals significantly below expectations.
This trend confirms, according to Monreal, "an anemic first part of the high season," which anticipates a challenging 2026 for the national economy.
The low attendance in the last month of the year not only impacts official forecasts but also calls into question the sustainability of a sector that remains vital for foreign currency earnings.
Data by issuing markets confirm a widespread deterioration. Canada, the main source of tourists for the island, reduced its flow of visitors from 860,877 in 2024 to 754,010 in 2025.
The Cuban community residing abroad, another key group, also saw a drastic decline: from nearly 295,000 travelers to just over 228,000.
Russia, one of the countries that the Cuban government had been trying to promote in recent years, saw a drop to 131,882 visitors, which is a 71% decline compared to the previous year.
The United States also showed a marked reduction, with only 110,005 travelers compared to 142,450 in 2024, despite the partial resumption of flights and cruises.
In Europe, the figures are also not encouraging: Spain and France recorded declines, and Germany experienced one of the steepest drops, with only half the number of tourists compared to 2020.
Only Argentina and Colombia reported year-on-year increases, although the volumes were too low to offset the loss from the main markets.
The balance sheet presents a pessimistic scenario. Despite the official narrative that insists on "gradual recovery," the numbers reflect a stagnant industry, hampered by a lack of infrastructure, poor service quality, constant blackouts, and shortages of food and fuel.
Cuban tourism has not managed to recover to pre-pandemic levels, nor could it sustain the slight upturn observed in 2024.
The result leaves the sector—mostly controlled by the military conglomerate GAESA—at its lowest point in four years.
With fewer visitors, an increasingly deteriorating offer, and an adverse economic environment, tourism enters 2026 in a critical state, while the regime insists on projecting an image of normality that the figures contradict.
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