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The Canadian travel group Sunwing Vacations Group announced this Friday the indefinite suspension of all its operations in Cuba, a decision that impacts the brands Sunwing Vacations, WestJet Vacations, and WestJet Vacations Québec, with no set date for resumption.
The company, part of the WestJet group, stated in a press release that the measure is being implemented after reviewing "the current operational conditions" in Cuba and will remain in effect "until further notice," without specifying the exact reasons.
The announcement marks a radical shift from the plans communicated in April, when Sunwing had extended its suspension only until October 9, 2026, intending to resume flights to Varadero and Cayo Coco on October 10, and to Holguín, Santa Clara, Cayo Largo, and Cienfuegos on October 25.
The moment is not coincidental: this Friday was the deadline set by Washington for foreign companies to disengage from the Cuban military conglomerate GAESA —which controls a large part of tourism and finances on the island— if they wanted to avoid sanctions from the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
In the days leading up to the deadline, the Cuban tourism sector had already endured a series of consecutive blows: Blue Diamond Resorts left 62 hotels and over 12,900 rooms, Meliá ceased operations in 15 establishments linked to GAESA, and Iberostar stopped operating 12 hotels as of June 1.
The Central Bank of Cuba also reported that payments with Visa and Mastercard would be suspended following the breakup of a foreign bank with Fincimex, the financial arm of GAESA.
The suspension of Sunwing is part of a long-lasting tourism crisis that began in February, when the disruption of Venezuelan oil supply left Cuban airports without Jet A-1 fuel and led to the cancellation of more than 1,700 flights by at least 11 airlines.
Air Canada temporarily suspended its flights to the island in February and announced in March that it would not resume regular service until November 1, 2026.
The impact on arrivals of Canadian tourists has been devastating: in March 2026, only 511 Canadians visited Cuba, compared to 98,663 in the same month of 2025, a decrease of 99.48%.
In the period from January to April 2026, arrivals from Canada dropped from 346,109 to 125,444 visitors, a decrease of 63.8%, while Cuba lost nearly half a million travelers in just four months, with a total of 328,608 international visitors, a 55.8% decrease compared to the same period in 2025.
The impact is particularly severe because Canada has historically been Cuba's primary international tourism market, accounting for about 40% of arrivals. In 2025, approximately 754,000 Canadians visited the island, a reduction of 12.4% compared to the previous year.
Travelers with existing reservations at Sunwing will be directly contacted and will have the option to move their vacations to other destinations or receive a full refund of the amounts paid.
The company acknowledged in its statement that "this news may be disappointing for customers and travel agents, especially given the strong connection that many Canadians have with Cuba and its people," while also expressing awareness of the difficulties faced by local communities, workers in the tourism sector, and their business partners on the island.
The Cuban Tourism Office responded to the announcement with a statement affirming that the island is "firmly open to global tourism," although the increasing departures of international operators paint an increasingly bleak picture for the sector.
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