The Cuban YouTuber Camila Carballo posted a video from Old Havana that highlights the dramatic decline in tourism and the deep crisis the country is experiencing.
In the footage, the streets appear almost deserted, with few pedestrians and virtually no tourists. One of the most iconic hotels in the Cuban capital looks empty and without any activity.
Camila passes by the iconic terrace of the Hotel Inglaterra, where international visitors could usually be seen, and finds it completely deserted.
Although musicians are playing live, it's not a foreign audience enjoying the show; rather, it's a few Cubans from the street, dancing discreetly, aware that they will return home to face another blackout.
Decline of tourism and economic crisis
International tourism in Cuba ended 2025 with around 1.8 million visitors, far below the levels seen before the pandemic and marking one of the worst years for this sector in decades.
The scarcity of fuel and energy has severely impacted tourism. The lack of aviation fuel has caused several airlines to cancel or reduce flights to the island, and some governments have issued travel alerts advising against visiting Cuba due to prolonged power outages, lack of basic services, and unpredictable conditions.
Hotels have had to close or reduce operations due to low occupancy and logistical limitations, while in cities like Havana, traffic lanes are empty due to a fuel shortage that also restricts internal transportation.
It is important to note that, while the fuel crisis worsened after the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January, the suspension of oil shipments from Venezuela to Cuba and the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on countries that send crude to the island, prolonged blackouts and the accumulation of garbage in the streets are not new phenomena.
For more than five years, Cubans have been facing daily long power outages and a sustained deterioration of basic services, amidst a structural crisis that predates the more recent events.
The video by Carballo depicts an urban landscape marked by the absence of tourists, frequent blackouts, dark streets, and an economy struggling to survive without its main source of foreign currency and fuel.
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