“Cuba is functioning normally”: Tourism officials confront fuel, disease & blackouts at T.O. meeting

Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism assured the travel industry on Wednesday (Jan. 14) that the country is operating like usual as concerns mount over fuel shortages and spreading diseases.

Lessner Gomez, marketing director at the Ministry of Tourism (and former director for the Cuba Tourist Board in Toronto), admitted during a press conference in Toronto that there has been a lot of concern over how viable Cuba is as a travel destination given its reliance on Venezuelan fuel.

Earlier in January, the U.S. captured Venezuela's president, Nicholas Maduro, in a high-stakes military operation, and has since assumed control over their government.

“The first message I want to give is that Cuba is still functioning normally,” Gomez said through translator Nieves Ricardo, a marketing assistant for the Cuba Tourist Board. “It’s business as usual.”

Venezuela provided up to one third of Cuba’s daily fuel needs but the U.S. now says it has cut off that supply to the island, which already was suffering from daily blackouts and shortages.

Gomez said Cuba has ongoing contracts with other countries, such as Mexico, for its fuel that are still providing oil.

He assured that the resorts have enough fuel to last them through the winter and the summer, and pointed out that Cuba’s planes didn’t use Venezuela’s oil because it is too heavy.

READ MORE: Geopolitics stir questions, but Cuba vacations still in demand, say agents & tour ops

He said that partnerships with the private sector have also expanded and have contributed to supplies at hotels, which can be imported from other countries.

Gomez said that he has heard of some cancellations since the U.S. takeover and some tour operators have expressed concern, saying that sales have slowed down a little – although they have seen the same in other parts of the Caribbean, as well.

Earlier this month, PAX surveyed tour operators and travel advisors about their Cuba bookings.

Several told us that clients have expressed concerns about the geopolitical climate, but it seems many still moving forward with their travel plans to Cuba.

Misperceptions

Gomez said there has been a misperception on social media that “Cuba is going down.”

“We are aware that the media coverage is affecting the market,” he said.

However, the country still expects more travellers in 2026 than 2025. It has a goal of one million Canadian visitors this year, up from 720,000 Canadian visitors last year.

He said that Canadian visitations have been up 17 per cent so far in January compared to last year, and there are on average 120 flights a week to Cuba from Canada.

Over 40 per cent of arrivals to Cuba are from Canada, making it the country’s number one market, according to Gomez.

The tourism board reinforced this point in a press release issued earlier this week, noting that Cuba ranks sixth among international destinations for Canadians, with more than 300,000 airline seats scheduled for the first quarter of 2026 alone.

U.S. President Donald Trump, though, is not so optimistic about Cuba’s future.

He said recently that it seems like Cuba is “ready to fall” and has encouraged the island to make a deal with the U.S. “before it is too late.”

In response, the Cuban government said it would defend itself to “the last drop of blood.”

Not exactly welcoming words a potential visitor to the country would like to hear, but Gomez told PAX that the U.S. government has been talking about Cuba for 65 years and they have still found a way to survive.

Mosquito-borne diseases

Another concern for Cuba is the spread of the mosquito-borne diseases Chikungunya, Dengue, and Oropouche.

Gomez said Wednesday that Cuba’s Ministry of Health has reported that cases have fallen for the diseases, and that there is a plan from the Ministry of Tourism for spraying and pest control in all of the resort areas.

He noted that there is a vaccine for Chikungunya that Canadians can get before travelling to Cuba for around $200.

Cuba is also facing ongoing blackouts, but Gomez said that the resorts are on their own power grid that do not face the same blackouts as outside of them and have generators.

He said it is often the case that those in the resorts aren’t even aware that blackouts are happening.

Gomez noted the special relationship between Canada and Cuba, with the two countries celebrating the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations last year.

“There is a deep-rooted love between the two countries that I think is very unique,” he said. “It’s home away from home.”

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