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The Canadian chain Blue Diamond Resorts confirmed the closure of its operations in Cuba and attributed its decision to a combination of factors including the reduction and suspension of flights to the island, operational challenges, and the deterioration of conditions for hotel operations.
The information was confirmed to Bloomberg by the public relations firm Duval Communication, representative of Royalton Hotels & Resorts in the Canadian province of Quebec, which stated that it had been informed last Friday about the termination of the company's operations in Cuba.
Blue Diamond, known internationally for its brands Royalton, Memories, Starfish, Mystique, and Resonance, managed 62 hotels and over 12,900 rooms in various Cuban tourist destinations. Among its most well-known establishments were the Royalton Paseo del Prado and the historic Hotel Inglaterra, both located in Havana.
According to the statement cited by Bloomberg, the decision to leave the Cuban market results from “a combination of factors, including reduced or suspended flights to Cuba, operational challenges affecting the destination, and a deterioration of hotel operating conditions.”
The explicit reference to the decline in air connections represents one of the first public acknowledgments by a major tour operator regarding the impact that Cuba's increasing isolation is having on the arrival of international visitors.
The exit of Blue Diamond comes amid intense pressure from the administration of President Donald Trump on foreign companies that do business with entities controlled by the military conglomerate GAESA, which dominates almost the entire Cuban tourism sector.
Washington granted until June 5 for foreign companies to sever their operations from companies associated with GAESA or risk possible sanctions from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Department of the Treasury.
Bloomberg also notes that several international airlines have recently suspended their operations to Cuba due to difficulties in refueling on the island, while countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom have issued warnings to their citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to the country.
The departure of Blue Diamond occurs in a particularly delicate context for Cuban tourism. After closing 2025 with one of the worst results in recent decades, the arrival of foreign visitors continued to plummet during the first months of 2026, worsening the crisis of a sector deemed strategic by the regime.
The decision of the Canadian hotelier could be just the beginning. Bloomberg also reported that the Spanish chain Iberostar might be abandoning the management of a dozen hotels in Cuba and may have stopped offering Cuban destinations on its booking platform, although the company has not officially confirmed this information.
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