Thousands of Tourism Workers Left Stranded as Cayo Santa María Hotels Shut Down

According to an anonymous report sent to Cibercuba, over 7,000 tourism workers have lost their jobs in Cayo Santa María, Villa Clara. One affected individual shared their plight, revealing the dire situation.

"We are now in a state of complete vulnerability," the whistleblower stated, despite public assurances from the Minister of Labor and Social Security that no one would be left unprotected. This statement starkly contrasts with the reality these workers face.

The closure comes in the wake of the military conglomerate Gaviota deciding to shut down all but one of the hotels in the area—20 hotel facilities in total—with the exception of the Hotel Paradisus Los Cayos. This decision follows the cessation of operations by Canadian airlines such as Sunwing, Air Canada, and Air Transat, leaving only a trickle of Latin American tourists, primarily from Argentina, arriving via Copa Airlines.

Impact on Workers and Families

Hotel human resources departments have been instructed to impose "work interruption" on all workers with cyclical indefinite contracts, thus stripping them of any financial support, according to the source.

"This is a blatant violation of the Labor Code and an egregious injustice against thousands of workers in the Cayo Santa María tourist destination," the anonymous worker lamented. The region depends heavily on this tourism sector for livelihoods, with no alternative employment available as Cayo Santa María is dominated by Gaviota.

"We are stuck in a limbo of uncertainty and need, while the regime, which boasts globally of protecting the working class, turns its back on us," the worker concluded.

Unanticipated Hotel Closures

In a related incident, an Argentine tourist reported that the hotel she was staying at in Cayo Santa María would close just a day after her arrival. In a video posted on February 15, 2026, the influencer recounted her arrival at Las Dunas hotel and how she was informed that it would close the following Monday.

"We are in Cuba, and they've just told us our hotel is closing tomorrow," she said at the start of the video. Resort staff informed guests to be ready by 2:00 p.m. in the lobby for transfer to a different hotel, though no specifics were provided at that time.

Mary, the tourist, noted the sparse occupancy at the hotel and stated that, due to low visitor numbers, guests from several hotels would be consolidated into one. A hotel worker explained to her that when a hotel closes, employees are "sent directly home" without work.

Reassignment Efforts in Matanzas

Meanwhile, in Matanzas, tourism sector workers are being reassigned to other areas or within their home towns. This is in response to an energy crisis that has led to hotel closures and transportation difficulties from distant municipalities to the Hicacos Peninsula or the provincial capital, as reported by Periódico Girón on Facebook.

The initiative focuses on identifying vacant positions within municipal Labor Offices to offer available jobs to displaced workers. The reassignments address two immediate issues: hotel closures and the inability to travel from distant areas to major hubs.

Cándido Lázaro González Valera, the province's Director of Labor and Social Security, explained that the process involves reviewing vacancies by municipality and offering these options to workers unable to continue in their usual tourism roles due to current restrictions. He noted that some positions previously considered viable are now unavailable, necessitating a shift in employment opportunities to other sectors.