The crisis scares away visitors
The official figures are conclusive and paint a bleak picture. The National Institute of Statistics (ONEI) confirms that international arrivals to Cuba fell by 18% in 2025 compared to the previous year. We are talking about just over 1.8 million visitors, very far from the government goal of 2.6 million and the worst figure since 2002, not counting the pandemic years.
After a record of 4.6 million visitors in 2018, the sector has not recovered pre-Covid levels.
The fall is generalized and hurts. Only Argentina (+13.6%) and Colombia (+8%) shed some light on this collapse. Traditional markets are sinking: Canada (-12.4%), the Cuban community abroad (-22.6%), Russia (-29%), the United States (-22.8%) and Mexico (-10.2%). Europe also turns its back: Germany (-49.5%), Spain (-28.5%) and France (-26%).
A perfect storm that strangles currencies
This blow to tourism is no coincidence. It is the direct result of a perfect storm that has been brewing for years.
The energy crisis with its endless blackouts, deep internal economic difficulties, reduced air traffic and the constant weight of US sanctions have created a hostile environment for travelers.
And now, Washington threatens to tighten the oil fence even more. For an economy that critically depends on tourism as a source of foreign currency, this news is not just bad; It is a sentence.
The sector that should be the engine of post-pandemic recovery is today more stagnant than ever. And while the red numbers pile up, the question that hangs in the air is simple and brutal: what’s next?




