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Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel urged Cubans living abroad to invest in and manage hotels on the island during an interview with the Spanish outlet elDiario on Thursday from Havana.
The announcement comes in the context of the massive exit of international hotel chains forced by the secondary sanctions imposed by the Trump administration, whose deadline for foreign companies to sever ties with GAESA expired precisely this Friday.
"There will be hotels that we will need to operate today more with Cuban management than with shared management with foreign entities. We are also proposing different business modalities. Cubans who wish to invest and manage hotels. We are open to that," Díaz-Canel stated.
The ruler extended the offer also to "individuals from other countries or entities from other countries that do not have accounts in the United States nor dependence on the United States and are willing to work with Cuba."
The proposal comes after four major chains abandoned the island. Meliá Hotels International ceased operations at 15 of its hotels in Cuba on Tuesday, acknowledging an average occupancy rate of 34.1% in the first quarter of 2026. Iberostar confirmed the departure of 12 of its 18 hotels linked to Gaviota/GAESA since Sunday. Blue Diamond Resorts abandoned 62 hotels and more than 12,900 rooms on May 30, and Archipelago International closed its six establishments.
Regarding these companies, Díaz-Canel stated that "they are going against their will" and that they represent partners to whom the regime has "great respect."
The void left by these chains is enormous. In the first four months of 2026, Cuba received only 328,608 international tourists, a decrease of 55.8% compared to the same period in 2025, marking the worst decline in two decades. The hotel occupancy rate in 2025 was only 18.9%.
The proposal for the diaspora to manage hotels faces significant structural obstacles. Díaz-Canel himself was personally sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Thursday, along with his wife Lis Cuesta Peraza, his stepson Manuel Anido Cuesta —a resident of Madrid— and other officials of the regime.
On the same day, OFAC formally sanctioned the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR), the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), and other Cuban institutions, further tightening the noose around the regime's structures.
In the interview, Díaz-Canel attributed the crisis to U.S. sanctions and described three scenarios that he believes Washington is pursuing: provoking a social uprising to intervene under the pretext of humanitarian aid, economically seizing Cuba to force a change in the political system, or a direct military aggression.
The energy crisis —Cuba imported between 80% and 90% less fuel since January 2026— is the factor that most directly affects hotel operations, with establishments closed due to a lack of electricity.
Meliá acknowledged in a statement that "the vast majority of hotels are currently closed and inactive due to energy issues and a drop in demand."
In March 2026, the regime had already announced an opening for Cuban emigrants to invest in strategic sectors such as tourism, mining, and energy, but analysts and the diaspora itself point out that the lack of legal guarantees and accumulated distrust are significant obstacles to any real investment.
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