PriceTravel CEO: Tourists No Longer Trust Cuba as a Destination

Cuba is grappling with a challenging outlook in the tourism sector, according to Rafael Durand, CEO of the online travel agency PriceTravel. He believes that the island faces numerous hurdles in regaining the trust of international travelers. In an interview with the specialized outlet REPORTUR.co, Durand highlighted how the lack of air connectivity and structural issues are negatively affecting Cuba’s standing compared to other Caribbean destinations.

"Cuba has a very challenging plan for the coming years to regain traveler confidence, and it largely involves connectivity—there's simply no way to get there," expressed the executive, who leads one of Latin America’s prominent travel agencies. Durand also addressed the internal difficulties the island faces, pointing out that shortages of supplies and services directly impact the tourist experience.

"Forget tourism; I think residents are facing much more immediate challenges: electricity, consumables, water, and food. This, I believe, has greatly discouraged Cuba as an attractive destination for the regional Caribbean traveler," he noted.

Comparing Caribbean Destinations

In contrast, Durand emphasized the growth of other Caribbean tourist markets such as the Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Curacao, which show positive trends. "What we've observed in this Caribbean context is that the Dominican Republic has performed the best... we see very positive numbers with them; Aruba shows strong figures; Curacao is less promising, and Jamaica is seeing less optimistic results," he explained.

Many users in the same publication supported the executive’s statements, sharing their bad experiences as tourists on the island. "In my opinion, Cuba has a major problem, which is the behavior of the people, driven by necessity. They hound you for every dollar and scam you if you're not careful. This, along with hotels suffering shortages, says it all," wrote one reader.

Another added: "Very poor airports. Badly maintained transportation. Expensive hotels with limited food. Long and frequent blackouts. Increasing insecurity." A more blunt user claimed to have been "completely scammed" during their visit. "I feel for the people, but the corrupt regime has destroyed a beautiful country. They sell products only in dollars at ridiculously high prices. They have ruined an entire country that's starving, buildings are crumbling, and the government is lining its pockets."

Tourism in Decline

These testimonials reflect a widespread sense of disenchantment that, according to experts, is one of the primary challenges Cuban tourism must overcome to reconnect with the international market. Official data shows that tourism in Cuba has dropped 30% so far in 2025 compared to the same period last year. The Cuban government has acknowledged that the tourism crisis will continue, projecting 2.6 million visitors, a figure lower than pre-pandemic levels.

Moreover, Cuba’s air connectivity has significantly deteriorated. Several international airlines have reduced or canceled their flights to the island due to low demand and operational issues. For example, the German airline Condor will cease all operations to Cuba starting in May 2025, eliminating the only direct air connection between Germany and the island. Additionally, Swiss airline Edelweiss Air canceled its flights to Cuba in March 2025, citing declining demand and operational difficulties at Havana’s airport.

While some airlines have attempted to maintain connections with Cuba, like Iberojet with its Lisbon-Santa Clara flight, these efforts have not been enough to counteract the overall trend of reduced air connectivity. Rafael Durand's comments align with other experts who warn that Cuba's tourism recovery could be delayed until 2030, due to the lack of an effective tourism development plan and the dependence on the U.S. market.