New Cuba journey advisory urges ‘excessive diploma of warning.’ Ought to Canadians fear?

The federal authorities upgraded its Cuba travel advice on Tuesday, warning Canadians planning a winter escape on the favored Caribbean island that worsening shortages of all the pieces from gas to meals may have an effect on resorts.

“Exercise a high degree of caution in Cuba due to worsening shortages of electricity, fuel and basic necessities including food, water and medicine, which can also affect resorts,” the warning mentioned.

“The situation is unpredictable and could deteriorate, disrupting flight availability on short notice.”

• Are you contemplating altering your journey plans to Cuba? We need to hear from you. Send an e-mail to ask@cbc.ca.

For a long time, tourism generated as much as $3 billion US a 12 months for Cuba. And Canadians have traditionally been the nation’s most frequent guests, drawn by the nice and cozy climate and dazzling seashores, plus the shorter flight and cheaper price tag in comparison with different Caribbean holidays.

“It’s like Canada’s Hawaii,” somebody commented on a Government of Canada Facebook post about Cuba journey advisories in January.

But there are indicators that could be altering, with new travel data from Cuba’s national statistical agency launched on Monday exhibiting a 12 per cent drop in Canadian guests by means of December 2025 in comparison with a 12 months earlier.

The company additionally reported a 17 per cent drop in guests total in December, or some 392,450 fewer worldwide travellers in comparison with the earlier 12 months.

As the brand new journey warning explains, Cuba schedules lengthy, each day energy cuts to scale back strain on its electrical community and likewise experiences surprising energy outages that may final greater than 24 hours.

Most massive resorts and inns use turbines, the warning provides, however “fuel shortages may impact generator use and the availability of various services, activities and utilities such as food service, light, running water and hot water.”

In addition, Cuba faces “chronic and severe shortages of ‎basic necessities,” it provides, together with meals, bottled water, faucet water, gas, medication and forex. Fuel shortages make journey on the island extraordinarily difficult, it says, noting that public transportation, together with taxis, are sometimes disrupted.

“There are often long lineups at gas stations that have led to altercations.”

‘More hesitation’

Cuba is hit day by day with widespread outages, blamed on fuel shortages and crumbling infrastructure, which have deepened an financial disaster exacerbated by the autumn in tourism, stepped-up U.S. sanctions and a failed inner monetary reform to unify the forex.

As The Associated Press explains, some Cubans fear that rising tensions between the U.S. and Cuba, cuts in water and energy provide and enormous piles of rubbish in common vacationer areas have spooked travellers.

CBC News has reached out to a number of Canadian airways and journey operators that fly to Cuba. Air Canada mentioned it might proceed its regular schedule to Cuba, however is intently monitoring the state of affairs. 

WestJet additionally mentioned it was intently monitoring the state of affairs, and will observe the Canadian authorities’s route.

Flight Centre mentioned it isn’t seeing a “one-size-fits-all reaction.”

“We’re still seeing Canadians book travel to Cuba, particularly repeat visitors who are familiar with the destination,” Anita Emilio, govt vice-president for Flight Centre Canada, advised CBC News in an e-mail.

“At the same time, there’s more hesitation than in the past, with some travellers asking more questions, delaying decisions, or reconsidering plans in light of ongoing shortages and infrastructure challenges highlighted in the government’s travel advisory.”

Overall, some 1.6 million vacationers visited Cuba from January to November 2025, considerably decrease than the 4.8 million in 2018 and the 4.2 million in 2019, earlier than the pandemic hit, in accordance with The Associated Press.

Resorts working ‘usually’

The Cuba Tourist Board in Toronto released a statement Tuesday noting that the Canadian market stays Cuba’s main supply of tourism, assuring travellers that every one resort operations are functioning “normally and securely for the 2025/2026 winter season.”

Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism “took proactive measures throughout the fall to ensure a seamless winter peak,” the board mentioned, noting that provides of gas, meals and important items had been secured prematurely.

The board cited journey statistics that embrace January 2026, and says Canadian arrivals in Cuba really went up 15 per cent over 2024 for the Nov. 1 to Jan. 31 interval.

Online, critiques from travellers are combined, with some fans on social media calling it secure, lovely and peaceable, and saying they are going to return. But others warning in opposition to visiting the island.

A commenter on the Cuba Vacations and Resorts Reviews Facebook page wrote on Tuesday that he’d simply returned Saturday from “the worst trip ever.”

“I was reassured that there was plenty of fuel for all tourism activities. That is a [bald-faced] lie,” he wrote, explaining that the aim of his journey was to go diving. He may solely exit as soon as as a result of the dive boat did not have gas.

‘Hard to know … why anybody would e-book’

Martin Firestone, president of Toronto-based insurance coverage firm Travel Secure, advised CBC the brand new warning is regarding as a result of it is just one beneath Level 3, which implies avoiding all non-essential journey.

“At the end of the day, they are telling you it’s not safe to go there,” he mentioned.

He mentioned the problems plaguing Cuba’s power and gas provide would possibly scare some travellers, particularly because it may have an effect on resorts, and cautioned individuals to consider Cuba past simply the seaside.

He cited examples like maybe not having the ability to cost your telephone, discover gasoline for a rental automotive and even get correct medical consideration.

“What if, god forbid, you had to have surgery in a hospital and the lights went out?” he mentioned.

“It’s hard to understand, even though it’s inexpensive and attractive, why anybody would book at this point.”

But Tamanisha John, an assistant politics professor at York University who research Caribbean improvement, advised CBC that whereas the power disaster is actual, it is impacting locals greater than vacationers.

“It is no secret that tourists, not just in Cuba, but throughout the Caribbean, are prioritized moreso than locals when states are confronted with crisis,” she mentioned in an e-mail assertion.

John mentioned Canada’s journey advisory considerations her for one more motive, “given that tourists do not feel the worst impacts of the energy crisis in Cuba and that Cuba is the Caribbean country with one of the lowest crime rates.” 

She factors to direct U.S. threats to Cuba over the previous few weeks, within the wake of the previous’s assault on Venezuela. The Trump administration has warned outright that toppling Venezuela’s chief Nicolás Maduro would assist advance one other decades-long purpose: dealing a blow to the Cuban authorities.

“It is no secret that Canada frequently supports U.S. invasions and interventions in the Caribbean region, so this advisory worries me,” John mentioned.

“It could be indicative of impending action by the U.S. to yet again violate the sovereignty of a country located in the Caribbean.”