First-Time Visitor to Cuba Shares Heartfelt Observations: "It's Heartbreaking to See How They Really Live"

Uruguayan user @maga_silveira03, residing in the United States, recently uploaded a TikTok video detailing her first visit to Cuba. In the clip, she shares her experiences traveling through the city of Camagüey and other tourist spots on the island. "Here we were landing in Camagüey, Cuba," she begins in a video that has already garnered numerous comments. Using a combination of images and first-person narration, she expresses her initial impressions: “I was really surprised because it’s so small and has this old-fashioned structure,” she remarked about the airport.

During her journey, she showcased a street market where she found items like bell peppers, cucumbers, and onions, while also pointing out the frequent nighttime power outages. “Everything was dark, except for a few hotels,” she noted.

Her account also captured scenes of alternative transportation methods, including horse-drawn carriages, bicycles, and pedestrians shielding themselves with umbrellas under the intense sun. She observed run-down schools and workers commuting in the back of trucks. “This is how many people go to work in places where they are paid very little, not even enough to live decently,” she criticized.

She also tasted a local fruit known as anoncillo and shared visuals of her visit to Cuban beaches, which she accessed via a sea-lined road. “The beaches were stunning, with white sand and crystal-clear water… an inexplicable peace,” she expressed.

While she enjoyed her time visiting her partner’s family and friends, she contrasted the island's beauty with the harsh realities she observed: “Believe it or not, many parts of the country look this deteriorated… Cuba seems like a beautiful country even though it’s in such disrepair. The people are really warm, and yes, it’s heartbreaking to see how they really live.”

In the video comments, several users expressed nostalgia for Camagüey, while others were curious about how she managed to reach the city. Responding to inquiries about her airline, she clarified, “I didn’t travel from Uruguay; I came from the United States.”

The content creator has previously shown an affinity for Cuban culture in earlier posts, saying, “I came to the USA intending to learn English, but what I learned was Cuban slang,” using hashtags like #repartocubano, #reparterauruguaya, and #cubanos.

Her account adds to the narratives of other creators documenting similar experiences in Cuba. Recently, Italian influencer Dario Fattore shared “10 Key Warnings for Tourists in Cuba,” advising against drinking tap water, recommending bringing medicine from home, and suggesting staying in private homes due to poor conditions in many hotels. He also reported staying in a hotel room “infested with cockroaches.”

Similarly, Spanish influencer Laura Méndez went viral with a video stating that any money spent by tourists in Cuba “will go toward funding that disgusting dictatorship,” describing her visit to the island as a reflection of scarcity, state control, and widespread decay.

The testimony of @maga_silveira03 comes amid a sharp decline in tourism to Cuba. Official figures indicate that the country welcomed just over 1.79 million travelers until August this year, which is 332,910 fewer than in the same period of 2024. This trend is documented in an analysis showing that tourism to Cuba continues to plummet, with significant drops also among Cuban residents abroad and visitors from the United States.