A Cuban who celebrated her 30th birthday in Varadero showcased this week the harsh reality of Cuba's main tourist hub: empty streets, closed hotels, and an atmosphere of complete neglect that contrasts with the image the regime projects to the outside world.
The reel published last Sunday on Instagram by the content creator known as Amy a lo Cubano summarizes in 42 seconds what many Cubans already know but the State dares not show: Empty streets, closed hotels, and zero social interaction.
While trying to inquire about a day pass at one of the beach resort hotels, the author found that the lack of tourists had not made anything cheaper: "Empty, but it is still very expensive for us Cubans."
The question posed at the end of the video encapsulates the feelings of thousands of residents on the island: "Is this abandonment or exclusion? Varadero is completely empty, but no, it is not for Cubans."
The comments from their followers reflect the same desolation. "I am from Varadero but I don’t live in Cuba, and like half of the young people who lived there, it is now a deserted town, but it will always be missed deeply."
Cuban tourism is in crisis. Only 262,496 international tourists arrived on the island in the early months of 2026, a figure that reflects the sustained decline of the sector.
The fuel shortage worsened the situation, with the cancellation of over 1,700 flights and the temporary closure of hotel facilities throughout the country, particularly impacting destinations like Varadero.
The Cuban government responded to the drop in visitors with a strategy to streamline tourist services and concentrate available resources in specific areas. Low occupancy hotels have closed and have left entire areas looking ghostly.
Varadero, in particular, has seen its numbers drop by 70% during that period, turning what was once the main sun and beach destination in the Caribbean into a postcard of abandonment that its own residents can no longer ignore.
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