Cuba implements strategic plan for tourism to address energy crisis

Cuban authorities are seeking greater energy efficiency, consolidating major tourist destinations, and protecting essential tourism services as a source of income. Photo: Archive

Cuban authorities recently announced that the country has designed a tourism plan to reduce energy consumption, consolidate tourist facilities, and take advantage of the current high season, amidst the complex energy situation facing the Caribbean island.

Speaking on the Mesa Redonda television program on February 6, Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga emphasized the importance of ensuring the sustainability of sectors that generate foreign currency, “because if we don’t have income, we cannot overcome the situation.”

The measures aim to improve energy efficiency, consolidate major tourist destinations, and protect essential tourism services as a source of income.

“In tourism, a plan has been designed to reduce energy consumption, adapting the facilities and taking advantage of the current high season, which is showing encouraging results and is better than that of the previous year,” he explained.

Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga. Photo: Screenshot from the Mesa Redonda television program

Recent data from Cuba’s National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) indicates that the country closed December 2025 with 2,604,092 travelers, 404,621 fewer than the previous year, and a figure representing 86.6% of the total registered during the same period in 2024.

Of the total visitors for 2025, 1,810,663 people were classified as international visitors, equivalent to 82.2% of the previous year’s figure, according to ONEI.

The report indicates that this represented 392,454 fewer international visitors compared to the same period of 2024.

The total number of travelers fell from 3,008,713 in 2024 to 2,604,092 in 2025.

Within this total, international visitors decreased from 2,203,117 to 1,810,663.

The ONEI figures also detail the performance of the main source markets for Cuban tourism: Canada remained the leading source market with 754,010 visitors, although this figure represented 87.6% of the previous year’s total.

The Cuban community abroad contributed 228,091 visitors, representing 77.4% of the total for 2024.

The Russian Federation registered 131,882 visitors, 71% of the previous year’s total, while the United States contributed 110,005 visitors, 77.2% of the previous year’s total.

Mexico registered 56,438 visitors, 89.8% of the previous year’s total; while Argentina saw an increase to 49,428 visitors, 113.6% of the 2024 total.

Spain contributed 46,489 visitors, 71.5% of the previous year’s total. France registered 36,884 visitors, 74% of the previous year’s total, Colombia reached 35,202 visitors, 108% of the previous year’s total, and Germany closed with 33,056 visitors (50.5%).

In total, visitors from other nations numbered 329,178, a figure representing 82.3% of the previous year’s figure.