Tourism plummets in Cuba under US blockade

(Patria) - Tourist arrivals in Cuba have almost halved since the beginning of the year, the Havana statistics office said on Monday, as a US blockade on fuel hits the island and international flights remain suspended, AFP reports.

Cuba has faced severe economic difficulties since the introduction of the US trade embargo in 1962, but the fuel blockade imposed by President Donald Trump on the island nation since January marks a new economic downturn, with regular power outages now a part of daily life.

The harsh measures have not spared Cuba's tourism sector, which is usually the second-largest source of foreign currency and an employer for over 300,000 people.

Between January and March, the island received 298,057 foreign visitors - 48 percent less than in the same period of 2025, according to data released by the national statistics office ONEI.

March saw a record drop, with only 35,561 foreign tourists visiting Cuba.

The decline affected all markets, with 54.2 percent fewer visits from Canada and 37.5 percent fewer Russian tourists.

The number of tourists from the Cuban community living abroad, mainly based in the United States, has meanwhile fallen by 42.8 percent.

Tourism in Cuba had previously flourished somewhat thanks to the diplomatic rapprochement between the communist government in Havana and former US President Barack Obama.

But the Covid-19 pandemic hampered growth, and Cuba's tourism revenue fell by 70 percent between 2019 and 2025.

Stricter US sanctions followed under Trump, and even before the current fuel blockade was imposed, tourism had fallen by 17.8 percent.

Fuel shortages have forced several international airlines to temporarily suspend flights to the island.

The island's medical services, nickel and tobacco exports have also been hit hard by the US fuel blockade.

Havana is preparing for a possible attack following repeated announcements by Trump that Cuba is "next" on his list after the overthrow of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.