May confirms the downward trend
Cuba received only 30,800 foreign tourists in May, according to the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI). The figure represents a year-on-year drop of 41.6% and a slight rebound compared to April.
In the first five months of the year, 359,491 international visitors arrived, 505,706 less than in the same period in 2025. Canada continues to be the main issuing market, with 126,239 tourists. They are followed by Cuban emigrants (60,874) and travelers from the United States (25,572).
Russia, Mexico, Argentina and China also show sharp declines. European countries such as Italy, Portugal and Germany left the top 10. Spain and France only contributed 8,106 and 7,525 visitors, respectively.
The drop has been constant: from 184,833 tourists in January, it fell to 77,663 in February and 35,561 in March.
Factors that aggravate the crisis
Starting in June, the situation will worsen with the departure of foreign hotel companies that operated alongside Gaviota, from the GAESA conglomerate. Dozens of facilities will be out of service. The hotel occupancy rate in the first quarter of 2026 fell to 12.9%, well below the 23.7% of the previous year.
In addition, most international airlines canceled flights due to critical fuel shortages, following the end of shipments from Venezuela and Mexico, and in the face of threats of sanctions from Washington.
In 2025, Cuba received just over 1.8 million foreign visitors, far from the projected 2.6 million. In 2024, 2.2 million arrived and in 2023, 2.4 million. The figures reflect a sustained deterioration in the sector, hit by the lack of fuel, the departure of international companies and lower global demand.
