Cuba saw 112,642 fewer tourists in January & February, Canadian visits drop nearly 30%

Cuba welcomed just 262,496 international visitors during the first two months of 2026—112,642 fewer than in the same period in 2025—according to figures released Monday (March 31) by the country’s National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI).

Including domestic travellers and Cubans living abroad, total arrivals reached 363,649 between January and February, representing just 73.1 per cent of last year’s level—a decline of 134,080 travellers, reports CiberCuba, a digital news outlet.

In February alone, international tourism dropped by 30 per cent year-over-year, falling from 375,138 visitors in February 2025 to 262,496 in February 2026, the report shows.

The United States saw the steepest proportional decrease, with visitor numbers plunging 53.8 per cent—from 25,552 to 11,791.

Canada, Cuba’s largest tourism market, also experienced a significant drop of 28.4 per cent, declining from 173,605 to 124,283 visitors.

February, notably, was when Canadian airlines paused their Cuba services and were forced to repatriate some 27,900 customers.  

Meanwhile, Russia recorded a more modest decrease of 7.4 per cent, going from 22,328 to 20,668 tourists.

The downturn in February coincided with a severe energy crisis.

READ MORE: “There continues to be steady demand”: Why some tour operators are still promoting Cuba

A disruption in Venezuelan oil supplies have left Cuba’s airports without jet fuel, leading to more than 1,700 cancelled flights.

The Government of Canada is currently warning citizens against all non-essential travel to Cuba, pointing to deepening shortages of fuel, electricity, food, water, and medicine.

Still, some tour operators, such as Enjoy Travel Group and Hola Sun Holidays, have continued to promote the island nation.

Hola Sun’s main connections to the destination currently include flights via the United States (American Airlines, Southwest, and Delta Air Lines), Mexico City and Cancun (Aeroméxico, Viva Aerobus, and Magnicharter) and Panama (Copa Airlines).

Meanwhile, growing uncertainty in Cuba has forced Canadian airlines and tour operators to delay the restart of their operations.

As reported, Sunwing Vacations and Vacances WestJet Québec are now planning to resume their Cuba operations, via WestJet, on June 20, with packages to Varadero (VRA) and Cayo Coco (CCC) from Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City.

Air Transat has also revealed that it will postpone its return to Cuba until at least June 20.

Air Canada, however, has pushed back the return of its Cuba service until November 1, 2026, citing ongoing operational issues including power outages and hotel closures on the island.

Local Cuban authorities recently restored power to much of the island after a recent nation-wide blackout.

The high-profile electricity failure on March 16 left roughly 10 million people without power, exacerbated by a U.S.-imposed oil embargo that has further strained the island's already outdated power infrastructure.

Global Affairs Canada has also been warning travellers for more than a year about shortages of basic necessities in the country.

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