The Ministry of Tourism (Mintur) and the state agency Ecotur S.A. are promoting TURNAT 2026, the XV edition of the international nature tourism event, scheduled for September in the Zapata Swamp, Matanzas province, as Cuba faces its worst energy crisis in decades.
The event, which is held biannually, takes place at the largest preserved wetland in the insular Caribbean, designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a Ramsar Site.
The activities are scheduled between September 7 and 14. They will include cycling tourism, mountain biking, scuba diving, fly fishing, hiking, kayaking, photo safari, and, as a new feature this edition, visits to agroecological farms. The final days will take place in Mayabeque.
The promotion of tourism contrasts with the reality of Cuba
Cuba faces an electricity deficit of nearly 2,000 MW, with daily power outages ranging from 8 to 15 hours. International airports have been out of Jet A-1 fuel since February, and the NOTAM for José Martí Airport has been extended until April 10.
More than 1,700 flights have been canceled, and gasoline on the black market reaches 5,000 pesos per liter. However, the regime refuses to abandon its failed strategy of prioritizing tourism over other sectors of the economy.
The Cuban tourism closed 2025 with only 1.8 million visitors, a drop of 17.8% compared to 2024 and the worst figure since 2002. In January 2026, the trend continued: 240,578 tourists, a 9.2% decrease from the same month the previous year. Arrivals from the United States fell by more than 40%.
Chains like Meliá and NH have closed establishments on the island due to the energy crisis, and the hotel occupancy rate in the first half of 2025 was 21.5%, seven points lower than the previous year.
Despite these damning figures, the official press asserts that "Turnat 2026 is presented as an unmissable event" for tourism in Cuba.
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