Meliá Hotels International announced this Tuesday that it will cease all its operations in Cuba starting next Friday, July 24, 2026, closing the 34 establishments it managed on the island after 36 years of uninterrupted presence.
The decision was formally communicated to the National Securities Market Commission of Spain through its Portuguese subsidiary Ilha Bela Gestão e Turismo, and encompasses the complete cessation of the use of authorized brands, receptive activity, and the local supply chain.
The official statement and its reasons
In the text sent to the stock market regulator, the Escarrer family's company was explicit about the reasons:
"This decision is a result of the significant operational, legal, economic, and financial difficulties that have persistently affected, and continue to affect, the environment in that country, effectively and legally preventing a minimum level of operational stability in its activities."
The statement also guaranteed an orderly exit
"Ilha Bela will continue to implement the necessary processes to ensure an orderly transition, adopting the required measures to minimize the impact of the cessation of its services, as well as implementing protocols to ensure transparent communication with employees, suppliers, and customers."
It is important to clarify that the departure of Meliá does not necessarily mean that the hotels will stop operating: the properties belong to Cuban state entities, which could continue to manage them under a different administration.
A withdrawal process that had been ongoing for a long time
This decision culminates a process that began on June 3, when Meliá announced the cessation of operations in 15 hotels linked to GAESA, the military conglomerate of the Cuban regime, in response to Executive Order 14404 signed by Donald Trump on May 1, 2026.
That order designated GAESA as a sanctioned entity and set June 5 as the deadline for foreign companies to sever ties with the group, under threat of being excluded from the U.S. financial system.
The final blow came on July 13, when the Trump administration expanded sanctions against the Cuban Ministry of Tourism and nine additional state entities, eliminating any leeway for Meliá to maintain its remaining hotels.
At that moment, the CEO of Meliá, Gabriel Escarrer Jaume, acknowledged the uncertainty:
"I don't know, the truth is that we don't know what is going to happen. We are following the instructions of the U.S. State Department."
The collapse of Cuban tourism as a backdrop
Meliá's departure comes at the worst time for the island's tourism sector.
In 2025, Cuba received only 1.81 million international visitors, the lowest since 2002 and less than half of the record 4.7 million registered in 2018.
Hotel occupancy plummeted to 18.9% that same year.
In the first quarter of 2026, the situation worsened even further: only 328,608 tourists arrived on the island, a decline of more than 50% compared to the same period the previous year.
Meliá was already operating at 50% of its capacity in the first quarter of 2026, with several hotels closed due to the energy crisis, fuel shortages, and the collapse in demand.
In July, only about four to five establishments remained operational.
A chain exit from the hotel sector
Meliá is not the only chain leaving Cuba.
Iberostar stopped managing 12 of its 18 hotels linked to GAESA as of June 1st, while the Canadian Blue Diamond Resorts confirmed its definitive exit on May 31st, impacting 62 hotels and more than 12,900 rooms.
The total losses of Spanish companies in Cuba are estimated to be between 80 and 100 million euros.
The regime of Miguel Díaz-Canel has threatened legal action for breach of contract, but Meliá is defending itself by invoking the European Union's Blocking Statute, in effect since 1996, which prohibits European companies from complying with extraterritorial U.S. sanctions.
Despite the grim outlook, Escarrer Jaume did not rule out a possible return when asked if Cuba has a future in tourism: "I believe it does, without a doubt."
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