Do you have to keep or must you go? Canadians rethink Cuba journey plans after advisory

Ask the travellers who maintain going year after year, they usually’ll probably inform you an identical factor: there’s simply one thing about Cuba.

The dazzling seashores. The sense of security. The heat — not simply the local weather, however the folks.

“You fall in love,” mentioned Monique Belliveau, 53, of Winnipeg. “It’s not a rich country by any means, but you fall in love.”

Belliveau estimates she’s been to the Caribbean island about 80 instances over the previous 20 years. First, as a repeat customer to Varadero together with her household. Then, a solo journey following her divorce. Now, she travels again to Cuba 4 or 5 instances annually together with her Cuban husband and their son.

They have a home in Holguín, near her husband’s prolonged household. On their most up-to-date go to in January, all of them stayed at a resort in Guardalavaca for 4 weeks.

“There were no shortages, there were no power outages, there were no issues,” Belliveau instructed CBC News from Winnipeg.

“This travel advisory … all Canada has done is scare everyone.”

The federal authorities raised its advisory level for journey to Cuba on Tuesday, warning Canadians that worsening shortages of electrical energy, gas and primary requirements together with meals, water and medication may additionally have an effect on resorts.

“Exercise a high degree of caution in Cuba,” the advisory says.

Cuba is hit by widespread outages day-after-day, blamed on gas shortages and crumbling infrastructure. The blackouts have deepened an financial disaster already worsened by a hunch in tourism, stepped-up U.S. sanctions and a failed inside monetary reform to unify the forex, based on the Associated Press.

Since the federal authorities’s new warning, CBC News has heard from dozens of travellers who say they’ve both cancelled their journeys, are attempting to cancel with out success or are nonetheless going with the understanding that this yr’s journey may very well be difficult.

But some, like Belliveau, assume the advisory is “nonsense” and can solely additional harm Cubans by harming their struggling tourism industry. Overall, the variety of guests to Cuba has dropped by practically 70 per cent since 2018, based on the Associated Press.

“Cancelling your trip to Cuba right now is the worst thing you can do because they need us more than ever,” Belliveau mentioned.

Fewer Canadians visiting Cuba

For a long time, tourism generated as much as $3 billion US a yr for Cuba. And Canadians have traditionally been the nation’s most frequent guests. But information exhibits that is shifting.

In 2019, Cuba was the second-most common abroad vacation spot for Canadian travellers from January to March (also called Q1, or peak bleak Canadian winter).

During that interval, Canadians made 410,000 visits to Cuba, simply forward of visits to the Dominican Republic, however behind Mexico, based on Statistics Canada.

The pandemic decimated journey, however by 2024, Canadian visits to Cuba in Q1 climbed again up. Then, in 2025, Canadian Q1 visits to Cuba dropped by 38 per cent, to the fourth-most common abroad vacation spot for Canadian travellers from January to March, based on Statistics Canada.

Meanwhile, new travel data from Cuba’s national statistical agency launched Monday present a 12 per cent drop in Canadian guests — the nation’s hottest vacationers — for all of 2025 in comparison with a yr earlier.

Katherine Hill, 40, of Bowmanville, Ont., was alleged to journey to Cayo Santa Maria together with her youngsters as half of a bigger household group Friday morning. But between the gas disaster, Canada’s journey advisory and the political tensions, she cancelled her journey.

“Personally, I would be unable to enjoy a holiday knowing that Cuba is on the brink of a humanitarian collapse,” Hill mentioned.

The resort they’d booked was having points feeding its friends, she mentioned, noting that its buffet was closed and folks had been being bussed to different areas for meals. In studying latest evaluations on-line, Hill famous that individuals mentioned transportation was unreliable. CBC reviewed on-line feedback concerning the resort and located comparable complaints.

“Guests were advising to bring kettles, instant noodles and bottled water. It started feeling less like preparing for a holiday and more like preparing for a survivalist challenge,” Hill mentioned.

“We were buying travel appliances like kettles and rice cookers, and grocery shopping. Then we thought, ‘what are we even doing?'”

‘We are terrified’

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on any nation that sells or supplies oil to Cuba.

On Thursday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel described the state of affairs there as “complex” as he referred to as the U.S. stance “aggressive and criminal,” saying it’s affecting issues like transportation, hospitals, colleges, tourism and the manufacturing of meals.

But, based on the Cuba Tourist Board in Toronto, all 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 in a statement Tuesday. Supplies of gas, meals and important items had been secured prematurely, they mentioned.

Still, it could be one factor to willingly journey there if you happen to’re younger and wholesome. But if you happen to’re older, or have well being points, the thought is definitely fairly scary, says Zelia Saliu, 60, who’s booked to journey from Toronto to Cayo Coco on Feb. 24.

She and a buddy booked their week-long journey via Sunwing Vacations in January, based on the itinerary considered by CBC News. After the federal authorities upgraded its Cuba travel advice on Tuesday, Saliu says she tried to cancel.

But she says Sunwing is refusing to present them a journey credit score or secure different, assuring her that the vacation spot and resort are “fine,” Saliu mentioned.

In an e mail to CBC News, a spokesperson for Sunwing mentioned they’re following their regular change and cancel policies proper now. “[We are] closely monitoring the situation in Cuba and will continue to follow the direction of the Canadian government.”

Those who buy a “Worry Free” plan from Sunwing can cancel or make adjustments as much as three hours earlier than departure. Saliu did not, and her choices with lower than 20 days earlier than her departure are to lose 100 per cent of the prices, or to go on her journey.

“We are terrified of travelling under these conditions,” Saliu mentioned.

But Belliveau, of Winnipeg, says she hopes folks will maintain their trip plans. Canadians can pack gadgets to make their journeys extra comfy, she mentioned, and that is true of any nation you may go to within the Caribbean.

In reality, Belliveau goes again in March. This time, to Varadero.

“There’s no safer place than Cuba,” she mentioned.