Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, a former Cuban spy and current national coordinator for the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), has sparked outrage on social media with his recent statement expressing sympathy for the "poor" American citizens who can't visit Cuba due to the embargo. "Cuba is so beautiful!" he posted on X, along with a scenic countryside photo. He added, "Please share this picture with the poor citizens of the USA who are forbidden to come and see it due to the 'embargo'."
The post was perceived as an insult by both Cubans on the island and those in exile, who swiftly reminded him of the poverty, power outages, dengue outbreaks, and repression that are part of daily life in Cuba. An emigrant responded, "We are not prohibited from going to Cuba, fool. Our moral duty is not to feed the same dictatorship we fled. The murderous PCC is not Cuba." Another young person commented, "It might be beautiful, but Cubans enjoy it less and less, hunger doesn't let them think."
Criticism continued to pour in: "Who wants to go to Cuba to see blackouts, trash in the streets, and shortages? Tourists get electricity, the people do not," remarked another user. A final jab came from an internet user: "Cuba is beautiful, but it would be much more so without you and the CDR."
The Discrepancy with Cuba's Tourism Reality
Hernández's words starkly contrast with the harsh realities facing Cuba's tourism sector, which is experiencing a historic decline, even from countries with no travel restrictions to the island. This demonstrates that U.S. limitations are not the root of the sector's crisis.
According to official data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), by June 2025, 1,306,650 travelers had arrived on the island, a decrease of 319,654 compared to the same period in 2024. Key markets have seen drastic drops. Canada, traditionally the top source of tourists, fell from 577,624 visitors to 428,125. Meanwhile, Russia, which the regime hoped would be a lifeline, plummeted from 112,707 to just 63,708 visitors, almost a 50% contraction.
Simultaneously, hotel occupancy in the first quarter was a mere 24.1%, indicating that over 75% of rooms remained empty even during peak season. Meliá, one of the island's major foreign hotel chains, reported a 20.8% drop in revenue per available room.
Economist Pedro Monreal summed up the situation: "International tourism didn't even fill a quarter of the hotel capacity in the first quarter. It's a worse result than in 2024 and contradicts the official narrative of recovery."
Cubans' Own Testimonies
Even official media like Cubadebate have acknowledged the tourism slowdown, and when they tried to blame external factors, they received scathing responses from Cubans themselves: "Who wants to go to a country without electricity, with bitter people and garbage on every corner?" one user wrote.
Another added, "Tourists are human, and when they see mosquitoes, gnats, sewage water, bad odors, and scarce food, they simply don't come back or recommend it." A traveler recounted that in a five-star hotel in Varadero, there were no eggs for four days, and workers, exhausted from power outages at home, couldn't provide even a minimally decent service.
The contradiction is clear: while Gerardo Hernández boasts about "the beauty of Cuba," both citizens and visitors highlight a nation mired in energy crises, shortages, and neglect. It's this reality—not the embargo or the ban on American tourists—that explains why tourists are avoiding the island.
In the end, Hernández's comment was seen as yet another example of the regime's propaganda machine's cynicism: a former spy turned CDR bureaucrat trying to cover up the deep decay of a country ruined by the dictatorship he represents with idyllic landscapes.
Understanding Cuba's Tourism Decline
Why are tourists avoiding Cuba despite its beauty?
Tourists are deterred by Cuba's ongoing energy crises, shortages, and general neglect, not the U.S. embargo. Issues like power outages and poor service have significantly impacted the tourism experience.
How has the tourism sector in Cuba changed recently?
Cuba's tourism sector has seen a historic decline, with significant drops in visitors from key markets like Canada and Russia, leading to low hotel occupancy rates and reduced revenues.