A video recorded in Varadero went viral after showing a hotel crowded with Cubans and a parking lot with over 200 private vehicles. According to the creator of the clip, this image sparked an intense debate on social media about who can currently afford vacations, hotels, and cars in Cuba.
The material was published on Facebook by Lucas Corrales, who claimed that the vehicles had been brought from the United States.
"There are more than two hundred private cars parked here. Two hundred cars, sir, private cars with private plates, that is, brought from the United States," he comments while surveying the area.
Corrales later confirmed in the comments that the images were recorded in Varadero.
The video also gives an idea of the number of guests at the facility. The Cuban mentions long lines for meals and a level of supply that contrasts with the scarcity faced by much of the population.
"The lines to eat are... There is pork, beef, fish. Many, many things," he recounts.
The images emerge in a summer when the Cuban government has strengthened its efforts to attract the domestic market in response to the prolonged decline in international tourism.
The Ministry of Tourism has opened 22 facilities in Varadero for the domestic market during the summer season of 2026, with prices starting at $156.50 per night and daily passes available in some cases starting from $80.
Cars, hotels, and an increasingly unequal Cuba
In response to the numerous reactions prompted by the images, Corrales later posted a second video specifically dedicated to touring the parking lot and showcasing in greater detail the vehicles he was referring to.
"Friends, as I promised you, all these cars you see here arrived from the United States, belonging to hotel guests, the privileged Cuban class. Look at that. There were many more yesterday," he said as he walked among several rows of cars.
The Cuban insisted that practically everyone had a private license plate and pointed out some of the models he came across.
"Everyone has private cars. Two or three are for tours. Everything is private. Look, look at how many private cars there are. Latest models. Kia, Hyundai, and so on. This is incredible," he commented.
The presence of numerous imported vehicles on the streets of Cuba has become increasingly noticeable in recent years.
Since January 2025, new regulations have come into effect that eased the acquisition of vehicles by individuals through payments in foreign currency. By 2024, the exports of vehicles from the United States to Cuba had reached million-dollar figures.
The phenomenon has created scenes that would have been hard to imagine years ago on the island. In December 2025, a gathering of luxury vehicles with private plates in Camagüey also sparked numerous reactions on social media.
Now, the images from Varadero have once again divided opinions.
Some users defended the families who can afford those expenses and recalled the importance of remittances and the work of emigrants. "They deserve it; they work hard in the U.S. to support their families and help those they left behind in Cuba," commented one person.
Others warned that a full parking lot and a crowded hotel do not reflect the economic conditions of most Cubans.
"A handful of cats among 11 million or more Cubans on the island... gentlemen, let's be consistent and analyze what Cuba is today," replied another internet user.
There were also those who pointed out the paradox that numerous vehicles from the United States are circulating on the island while the Cuban government continues to attribute much of the economic crisis to U.S. sanctions.
"That's how communism works in Cuba with the help of relatives abroad," one user mocked.
The debate coincides with an increasingly visible acknowledgment of the economic disparities that have deepened in Cuban society. Recently, a professor from Las Tunas admitted that the economic reforms implemented in Cuba create class differentiation.
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