A video published on Facebook shows the exterior of the Grand Aston La Habana Hotel completely deserted, with not a single tourist in sight, in an image that encapsulates the collapse of the Cuban tourism sector in 2026.
"Look at how this is, it's a shame, I don't know what's going to happen to us," says Arnold Caraballo as he shows the street that used to be filled with classic American cars, taxis, and visitors coming in and out of the luxurious five-star hotel in El Vedado.
"Empty, there are no tourists here, there is nothing here. This is no longer bearable," expresses the author of the video with pessimism.
Grand Aston is one of the most modern hotels in Havana: 600 rooms, opened in 2022, managed by the Indonesian group Archipiélago International in partnership with Gaviota S.A., a company of the military conglomerate GAESA, controlled by the Cuban Armed Forces.
The images do not come as a surprise to those who are following the figures in the sector. Cuba received only 298,057 international visitors in the first quarter of 2026, a drop of 48% compared to the same period in 2025.
In March, the decline was even more severe: only 35,561 tourists arrived on the Island, a 79% decrease compared to March of the previous year. Russian tourism, which was once a cornerstone of the sector, fell to just 249 visitors that month.
The accumulated hotel occupancy stands at around 21.5%, meaning that more than eight out of ten rooms remain vacant across the island. Gaviota closed 20 hotels in Cayo Santa María, leaving over 7,000 workers unemployed. In total, about 300,000 people associated with tourism are without income.
The situation worsened even further last Thursday when Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally designated GAESA under Executive Order 14404, signed by President Trump on May 1. The sanctions target the regime's financial core and include chains such as Cubanacán, Gran Caribe, and Islazul, with a deadline of June 5 for foreign companies to close operations with the military conglomerate.
Meliá Hotels International closed the first quarter with 50% of its capacity inactive and a 68% drop in its net profit. Other chains implemented emergency discounts of up to 30% to try to salvage the season, but without visible results.
While the Grand Aston appears empty in the video, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero inaugurated the 44th International Tourism Fair FITCuba 2026 last Thursday with a pre-recorded video – not in person – delivering a speech that starkly contrasts with reality.
Marrero promised "a very strong next winter" and stated: "We are optimistic, we believe that these U.S. sanctions will not last long."
The Prime Minister also made a statement that generated backlash on social media: "Every time a tourist travels to Cuba, they are helping the Cuban people", ignoring that the income from tourism flows to GAESA and the Armed Forces, not to the population.
Since the historic record of 4.7 million visitors in 2018, Cuba has lost 62% of its tourists. The year 2025 ended with 1.81 million visitors, the worst figure since 2002, excluding the pandemic, and the 2026 numbers indicate an even greater decline.
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