Cuba Tourist Board says hotels “are back to normal,” asks Canadians to “trust us”

This story was updated on Thursday, October 24 at 11:14 p.m. EST

Following an intense few days of island-wide power outages, Cuba has restored its electricity and hotels have returned to normal, says the Cuba Tourist Board.

“We have reports, directly from the destination, that the hotels are fully operational across the country, all facilities and services are back to normal, our clients are enjoying their regular tourist activities and it’s business as usual,” stated Lessner Gomez, director of the Cuba Tourist Board in Toronto, in a press release on Wednesday (Oct. 23).  

The tourist board says electricity has been restored to 100 per cent of the hotels in Cuba, and at all tourist areas, “it’s business as usual.”

The update brings some closure to Cuba’s latest power crisis, which began last Friday (Oct. 18) when the country’s main energy plant failed, knocking out electricity for 10 million people.

Power was partially restored in some regions over the weekend, but it failed again shortly after, leaving many in the dark – particularly in Varadero and Havana, two destinations that are heavily frequented by tourists.

The impact of the blackout also went beyond light switches. Other services, like water supply, also depend on electricity to run pumps.

Cuban officials have blamed the outage on various things, from increased U.S. economic sanctions to the deteriorating state of the island’s infrastructure. 

Adding to the frustration was damage caused by Hurricane Oscar, which made landfall near Baracoa along Cuba’s eastern shores last Sunday as a Category 1 storm (it later weakened to a tropical storm).

The Cuba Tourist Board says the storm didn’t affect any hotels or tourist infrastructure in Holguin, since it went through Guantanamo province “where there are no major resorts.”

No electricity, however, forced Cubans to cook campfires along the street and no working appliances has resulted in food going to ruin, reports say.

Protests in Havana also took place as dozens of residents, on Monday, chanted "We want light!" while banging pots with metal spoons, Reuters reports.

As previously reported, Canadian tour operators who sell packages to Cuba, like Sunwing, Air Transat and Air Canada Vacations, activated flexible rebooking policies this week to give customers some options (Cuba’s airports remained up during the ordeal).

Sunwing shares update

In a follow-up statement yesterday, Sunwing shared an update on its operations in Cuba. 

“While all Cuban airports served by Sunwing remained open and operated with either power or via generators during the power outage, and several Sunwing-offered destinations were largely unaffected, including Cayo Santa Maria, Cayo Largo and Cayo Coco, other destinations like Cienfuegos had power restored promptly, whereas power grid access has since been restored to Holguin, Havana and Varadero,” the tour operator wrote.

The company also noted that a number of all-inclusive properties in affected destinations offered by Sunwing were able to operate on backup generators in recent days.

“The restoration of the national power grid signifies that the vast majority of the country is back to operating as normal, a welcome relief for the local community and the many tourists who frequent the island at this time of year,” Sunwing said.

“Negative spin”

As Cuban residents grappled with the power problem on a local level, tourists reportedly faced different situations at resorts.

Reports of food and water supplies running low at resorts during the power outage made headlines this week. One Air Canada customer contacted PAX to share his on-the-ground experience in Cuba as hotels tried to mitigate the situation.

Edward Palmer said the electrical failure knocked out air conditioning and hot water at Melia Las Americas in Varadero, where he is currently staying. He said he also witnessed a “deteriorating” food situation as other hotel guests hoarded alcohol and food in zip locks.

The Cuba Tourist Board is downplaying such stories, calling them a “negative spin” of events.

“The reality is that the majority of the tourist facilities have their own generators and the Ministry of Tourism, local tour operators’ representatives, hotel management and the hotels staff in general did everything possible to minimize the impact,” the tourist board wrote. 

“Trust us”

As the 2024-25 winter season sets in, Cuba is now tasked with convincing vacationers that it is still a safe and reliable destination.

The Cuba Tourist Board is appealing to Canadians to give Cuba a chance.

“Canadians, for decades, have visited Cuba, not only for its pristine beaches and warm weather, but also for the warmth and hospitality of the Cuban people, for its safety and the rich local culture,” said Gomez. “It’s the strong friendships with Cubans what keeps them coming back.”

“So, for this coming winter season, I would like to invite Canadians to trust us as we are working very hard to deliver quality service and an elevated holiday experience.”

Hugo Rocha, sales director of tour operator Hola Sun Holidays, emphasized that all flights to Cuba are operating normally, that it's business as usual, and that his team is ready to assist Canadian tourists in planning their vacations to Cuba. 

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