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The trickle of closures in the foreign hotel sector in Cuba continues and is no longer limited to Meliá.
The portal Ultima Hora revealed that the Mallorcan chains Iberostar and Valentin Hotels & Resorts have also started to close some of their hotels on the Island, in an effort to "optimize the management of available fuel" and adapt to the significant drop in tourist demand.
The decision comes amidst an energy crisis that has practically paralyzed the country and has severely impacted one of the few sectors that was still generating foreign currency.
Meliá has already announced the closure of three of its establishments as part of a "streamlining" plan initiated by Cuban tourism authorities.
Iberostar, which manages 35 hotels on the Island, and at least one of Valentin Hotels & Resorts are now joining that measure. In the case of Valentin, the closure of Valentin Perla Blanca, located in Cayo Santa María, has been confirmed.
Without fuel for planes, nor hotels, nor anything
According to the Diario de Mallorca, the situation has worsened following the complete suspension of operations by Canadian airlines to Cuba.
Air Canada, WestJet, and Air Transat canceled their flights, which the industry itself describes as "the final blow" to a tourism sector that was already in free fall.
Almost half of the visitors that Cuba received in 2025—around 754,000—were Canadians, so their exit from the market leaves a difficult gap to fill.
With the lack of fuel forcing the cancellation of numerous flights, the hotels are empty.
The Mallorcan hotel sector insists it does not intend to withdraw from Cuba. "We have no intention of leaving Cuba because it is a destination that our clients demand," stated representatives from Ávoris, the travel conglomerate of the Barceló Group.
However, everyone acknowledges that they are at an "impasse," observing day by day how the crisis evolves.
Barceló keeps its two hotels in Varadero open, Roc Hotels maintains three establishments on the island, and Blau operates three more between Havana and Varadero. But all of them depend on having flights... and fuel.
A paralyzed country
The problem is not just a temporary situation. The energy crisis, with a country lacking fuel for transportation, sustaining production, or guaranteeing basic operations, has ultimately brought tourism to a standstill as well.
Without fuel for the planes, without stable electricity, and without logistics, the Island becomes an increasingly less viable destination.
And this happens precisely when tourism should be one of the main sources of foreign currency income for a state that cannot sustain its economy.
Meanwhile, the management of the Cuban government is once again at the center of criticism.
The lack of foresight, investment, and organization has brought the country to a point where there is not only a shortage of fuel for the population but also to sustain strategic sectors.
Tourism, already severely damaged by years of mismanagement, is now facing another almost fatal blow: closed hotels, suspended flights, and a destination that is fading just when it needs to light up the most.
Although hotel chains assure that there will be no emergency evacuation and that Canadian tourists currently on the island will return "according to their vacation packages," the picture is clear: fewer flights, fewer hotels open, and fewer visitors.
And all in a country that relies on tourism for survival.
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