The energy crisis in Cuba has extended beyond affecting Cubans in their dimly lit, fanless homes. It has now reached foreign tourists, who during peak season, find themselves being shuffled from one hotel to another due to a lack of fuel.
A Canadian tourist's experience, being relocated along with dozens of other visitors in Cayo Coco, north of Ciego de Ávila, highlights the escalating emergency on the island. Hotels are shutting down, workers are losing income, and the nation is barely managing to stay afloat as the regime struggles to preserve its last remaining source of foreign currency.
CTV News reported on Friday that Canadian tourists are being “consolidated” into a single tourist area to conserve energy amidst the country's severe fuel shortage.
Vicky Volovik, a Canadian vacationing in Cayo Coco, explained that the strategy involves concentrating visitors in one hotel because “there isn’t enough fuel” and the aim is to “save energy by grouping everyone in the same hotel.” She noted, “almost the entire hotel is being relocated.”
Although Volovik mentioned that within the hotel she hasn't faced the shortages directly and found “plenty of food,” no blackouts, and functioning services, the human reality surrounding her was starkly different.
Volovik described scenes of distress among Cuban workers who suddenly see their livelihoods vanish. “I witnessed a lot of tears, a lot of crying,” she stated. “People are very upset because nearly all the workers here have lost their jobs and their means of support... people here are suffering right now.”
In Cayo Coco, as in other northern Cuban keys, most employees don't reside there. They commute from other areas by bus to work in hotels and largely rely on tips. When a hotel closes or reduces operations, the impact is not just employment loss; it directly translates into hunger for entire families.
“A significant portion of our income depends on tips and tourist money, so that will disappear once the hotel shuts down,” the Canadian lamented.
The Cuban government itself has acknowledged the use of a “compaction” strategy for tourism, closing less occupied facilities and transferring guests to other hotels to cut down on energy consumption.
Vice Prime Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga openly admitted on national television that the regime's goal is to “compact the most popular resorts” to maintain foreign exchange inflow.
Moreover, industry sources confirmed to EFE that hotels have already begun closing, and international tourists are being relocated, particularly in Varadero and the northern keys of the country.
This testimony comes as Canada updates its travel advisory to Cuba, urging its citizens to exercise increased caution due to worsening shortages of electricity, fuel, and basic goods.
Impact of Cuba's Energy Crisis on Tourism
How is the energy crisis affecting tourists in Cuba?
The energy crisis is causing tourists to be relocated from one hotel to another due to a lack of fuel, as hotels are closing or consolidating operations to save energy.
What measures is the Cuban government taking to address the tourism impact?
The Cuban government is implementing a strategy of "compaction," closing less occupied hotels and transferring tourists to others to reduce energy consumption.