The Cuban economist Elías Amor dismantles the official narrative of the regime and asserts that the massive exit of international hotel chains from Cuba is not due to Donald Trump's ultimatum, but rather to the structural collapse of tourism on the island, which is experiencing its worst performance since the 1990s.
In an interview with journalist Tania Costa, Amor analyzed the recent exits of Blue Diamond, Iberostar, and Meliá from Cuba, as well as the suspension of payments with Visa and Mastercard on the island, and rejected the narrative that the regime has attempted to impose.
"The regime has gone too far. It has gone so far that it wants to confuse everyone, deceive everyone, and become the child that feels sulky because a little toy has been taken away from them. And that role for a regime that has already lasted 67 years is not acceptable," stated Amor.
The economist emphasized that establishing a business in a country is not a decision made overnight: "For a company to set up its operations in a country is not a decision made from one day to the next. They must have spent several months weighing the pros and cons of the move. They may have even informed their home governments. I am sure that Pedro Sánchez already knew this was going to happen."
The real cause, according to Amor, is that tourism in Cuba fell by 50% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period of the previous year, the worst result since Fidel Castro authorized tourism in the 1990s.
"That is a devastating fact, which, when applied to the entire hospitality sector, will show occupancy rates that do not exceed 10 percent. That means losing money because you won't even cover operating costs, electricity, salaries, and raw materials," he explained.
Cuba received only 328,608 international tourists between January and April 2026, compared to much higher figures in previous years. In 2025, it had already ended the year with 1.8 million visitors, its lowest numbers since 2002, excluding the pandemic, far from the 4.6 million in 2018.
Amor recalled that these companies operated in Cuba for decades without issues, even after the approval of the Helms-Burton Act, and that their executives traveled freely to the United States. What has changed now is something else: "The numbers have turned red. And when the numbers turn red, these important gentlemen who make up the boards of directors of these large companies start to tremble and have to make decisions, because if they don't, the shareholders will vote them off the board."
The economist acknowledged that Trump's ultimatum—set by an executive order on May 1 with a deadline until this Friday—may have influenced the specific date of the exit, but not the fundamental decision: "What has happened in Cuba is not the reason for Donald Trump's decisions. Well, it may have influenced something, especially regarding the date, but no more than that."
Meliá announced the cessation of operations in 15 of its 35 hotels in Cuba on Wednesday, while Iberostar ceased operations at 12 of its 18 establishments on Monday, all linked to Gaviota, the tourism subsidiary of GAESA, the military conglomerate that controls a large part of the Cuban economy.
“No one leaves where they make money,” summarized Amor, who demanded that the regime take responsibility: “We must begin to take responsibility, and when heads need to roll, then heads roll. And when it's time to step aside and let someone else take the lead, then that should happen too.”
If the current trend continues, Amor projects that Cuba could end 2026 with fewer than one million international visitors, a number that would signal the definitive collapse of a sector that has been the main source of foreign currency for the regime for decades.
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