A resident of Varadero shared a video on Facebook that showcases the loneliness and emptiness of the Plaza América Complex, a convention center with numerous shops and recreational spaces, which used to be bustling with people.
The clip, which garnered nearly 240,000 views, unleashed a wave of nostalgia and sadness among those who remember that spot as an essential landmark of Cuba's most famous beach resort.
Nayrobis MY, the recording's author, recalls the excitement of earlier times when people would go to the venue for any reason. "Before we would say, 'Hey, do you know who I saw at Plaza? Hey, come on, hurry up, we're going to Plaza. Do you know if they posted anything at Plaza?' That was before; now it’s like this," she said with resignation.
The fond memories cherished by those who visited the place stand in stark contrast to its current image: empty premises, areas covered with metal panels, and a stillness that several commentators described as akin to a desert.
Many internet users shared their experiences and lamented how all of that has been lost.
"Always with a fantastic atmosphere, music, activities, crowded shops, and businesses. I loved leaving work and visiting it more than 20 years ago," commented a Cuban living in Uruguay.
"Everything they sold was the latest," stated a user.
"What nostalgia, it used to be filled with musicians and cold beer in the heart of the city. I loved going there and eating at the restaurant on the second floor, outside, looking at the sea," shared another emigrant.
"In the 90s, that place was incredible, with well-known brands like Banana Republic, Mango, and many others, not to mention the events," detailed another Cuban.
"I have such beautiful memories of that place, I’d rather not see it, really. I loved the Plaza América supermarket," remarked another.
Inaugurated in 1997 on the Autopista Sur km 11 in Varadero, the Plaza América Convention Center was once the primary venue for conferences, events, fairs, and meetings in the tourism hub, and it also featured a significant commercial area.
It housed more than 32 boutiques, a Casa del Habano, a supermarket, a pharmacy, a bank, restaurants, and cafés. Over 1,500 events were held in its halls, including the Varadero Gourmet Festival and international congresses on tourism and health.
Almost 30 years after its opening, the reality is quite bleak. Reviews from travelers on TripAdvisor in October 2025 already warned about empty stores and few offers in the complex. By 2026, comments describe that "many shops have closed," with areas under demolition and barely the bank, the supermarket, and a few stalls selling cigars, rum, and pizza still in operation.
The deterioration of Plaza América reflects the collapse of Cuban tourism as a whole. The Prime Minister Manuel Marrero himself acknowledged at the end of July that 73% of the country's hotels were closed and around 25,000 workers in the sector were without full employment.
Between January and June 2026, international tourist arrivals in Cuba fell by 60.7%: only 387,591 visitors compared to 985,606 in the same period the previous year.
Varadero has been one of the hardest-hit areas. In the resort, the decline reached 70%, with hotel occupancy rates at times not exceeding 10%.
In April, a creator showcased empty streets and closed hotels in Varadero, and in May, two YouTubers toured the resort comparing their childhood memories with the current reality: attractions out of service, deserted avenues, and a silence that bears no resemblance to the once vibrant destination.
The regime attributes the crisis to fuel shortages and U.S. sanctions, but the accumulated deterioration of infrastructure and management in the tourism sector over decades points to structural causes that no official rhetoric can conceal.
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