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Cuba received only 328,608 international tourists between January and April of 2026, a decrease of 55.8% compared to the same period last year, according to data published this Friday by the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI).
The month of April was particularly devastating: only 30,551 visitors arrived on the island throughout the month, a figure that reflects the rapid collapse of one of the most important sectors of the Cuban economy.
The collapse is due to a combination of interrelated factors: the severe economic and energy crisis endured by the dictatorship, the shortage of aviation fuel caused by pressures from Washington, and the massive cancellation of international flight routes.
Since January, the main air connections from Canada and Russia have been suspended due to a lack of fuel, and many hotels have temporarily closed due to a lack of customers.
Spanish airlines Iberia and World2Fly also announced the gradual suspension of their services; the latter carried out its last flight from Madrid to Havana this past Wednesday.
By country of origin, Canada —the main source market— contributed only 125,444 visitors between January and April, a year-on-year decrease of 63.8%.
Russia sent only 21,050 tourists during the same period, a decrease of 56.7%.
All markets are experiencing significant declines; even the least affected, Argentina and China, exceed a 20% drop.
Visits from the Cuban community abroad, another cornerstone of the sector, also decreased by 41.2% in the first four months of the year, totaling 46,173 people.
The collapse of Cuban tourism has left about 300,000 people connected to the sector unemployed or underemployed, with hotel occupancy at just 21%.
Chains like Meliá closed at least three hotels, and Gaviota shut down 20 facilities in Cayo Santa María, leaving over 7,000 workers unemployed.
Tourism is essential for the Cuban regime's economic recovery plans, due to its contribution to the gross domestic product and the foreign exchange it brings in, typically ranking among the most important sectors alongside professional services and remittances.
The situation contrasts with that of competing Caribbean destinations like Punta Cana and Cancún, which are experiencing record highs in visitor numbers.
Cuba closed 2025 with only 1.81 million tourists, compared to the government target of 2.6 million and the 2.2 million of 2024, according to data indicating the worst year since 2002 excluding the pandemic.
Current figures are far from the historical highs of 4.6 million visitors in 2018 and 4.2 million in 2019, years associated with the diplomatic thaw between Havana and Washington, and they suggest that 2026 could end up being the worst year for Cuban tourism in at least two decades.
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