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Cuban tourism is facing its worst summer in decades, simultaneously hit by fuel shortages, the massive withdrawal of airlines, and the pressure of U.S. sanctions on the Spanish hotel chains operating on the island.
An analysis published this Monday by El Mundo reveals that power outages are not the only issue facing the Cuban tourism sector. Alongside the energy crisis, there is the withdrawal of at least 11 airlines that have suspended flights to Cuba in 2026, including Air Canada, Air France, and Turkish Airlines.
Iberia will implement a complete suspension of its Madrid-Havana route starting in July, and Cubana de Aviación confirmed on May 12 the immediate cancellation of its only Cuba-Spain flight, following Plus Ultra's decision to suspend the route citing force majeure due to Executive Order 14404, signed by the U.S. presidency on May 1, 2026.
Spanish hotel chains, however, cannot leave as easily. Meliá, with over 30 hotels, and Iberostar, with around twenty, operate establishments under a co-management arrangement with Gaesa, the business conglomerate of the Cuban military that also controls remittances, gas stations, and internet service.
The relationship between Spanish hotel companies and Gaesa now places them at the center of pressure from Washington.
The Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a statement on May 7 imposing new sanctions that estimate 20 billion dollars in revenue for Gaesa, described as the "heart of the communist kleptocracy," and explicitly prohibit contributions, funds, or services to individuals designated by the U.S. administration, such as Ana Guillermina Lastres, the military leader of the conglomerate.
Meliá has already seen its business in Cuba drop by 10% in 2025, down to 11.5 million euros, with an occupancy rate of 40% and a revenue per room of just 29 euros.
In the first quarter of 2026, the chain had 50% of its operational capacity paralyzed. NH Hotels, now owned by Minor Hotels, has already left Cuba.
In the first quarter of 2026, the decline of tourism in Cuba accelerated. Only 298,057 tourists arrived on the island between January and March, representing 52% of the level from the same period the previous year, with a hotel occupancy rate of 21.5% — more than eight out of ten rooms were empty.
In March 2026, Cuba received only 35,561 tourists, a 79% drop compared to the previous year. Russian tourism, which had been one of the alternative markets after the pandemic, plummeted that month to 249 visitors, down from 15,688 in January.
Amid the crisis and the imminent collapse of the sector, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero promised at the FITCuba 2026 fair, held on May 8, a "very tough winter" for tourism in Cuba and assured that investments in this area of the national economy will not stop.
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