{"id":301834,"date":"2026-02-17T03:13:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T03:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/301834\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T03:13:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T03:13:12","slug":"inside-cubas-tourism-collapse-as-fuel-runs-dry-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/301834\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Cuba\u2019s tourism collapse as fuel runs dry \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

A solitary guard standing watch at Hotel Raquel, off Havana\u2019s historic old plaza, turns on the lights in the main lobby, illuminating an unmanned reception desk and red tape draped across the marble staircase at the hotel entrance. <\/p>\n

At the height of Cuba\u2019s tourist season, Hotel Raquel is one of more than two dozen state-owned hotels that have closed its doors, as the Cuban government responds to a deepening fuel crisis. <\/p>\n

Cuba<\/a> has received no oil or fuel for a month, after US president Donald Trump<\/a> cut off Venezuelan supplies to the island and pressed Mexico to stop its shipments. Cuba relies on foreign imports for around 60 per cent of its fuel needs and is facing a growing shortfall without fresh supplies.<\/p>\n

While Cuba\u2019s ministry of tourism did not respond to a request for comment, Cuba\u2019s vice prime minister \u00d3scar P\u00e9rez-Oliva Fraga, a grandnephew of Fidel Castro, said the government has introduced measures to diversify fuel imports and reduce demand at a crucial time for the tourist industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cA plan has been designed in tourism to reduce energy consumption, consolidate tourist facilities, and make the most of the high season currently under way in our country,\u201d he told state TV. <\/p>\n

\"AA solitary guard standing watch at Hotel Raquel off Havana\u2019s historic old plaza. Photo by Hannah McCarthy for The Irish Times <\/p>\n

In Havana, meanwhile, the government is grappling with rolling blackouts, a transportation system nearing paralysis. Russia and Canada are repatriating citizens after airlines based in their countries suspended their services to Cuba due to a lack of aviation fuel on the island. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs has joined a growing number of countries in issuing a travel alert <\/a>for Cuba, advising citizens to avoid non-essential travel due to the \u201cincreasingly serious economic and humanitarian situation\u201d. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Avoid non-essential travel to Cuba, Irish citizens toldOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

\"AirbnbAirbnb host Marco Alonso: \u201cWhen I\u2019m talking to clients, they\u2019re all cancelling now and mentioning Trump.\u201d Photo by Hannah McCarthy for The Irish Times <\/p>\n

Marco Alonso, who manages one of the private guest houses which have proliferated across Havana since the government liberalised the tourism economy a decade ago, is seeing the impact first-hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m talking to clients, they\u2019re all cancelling now and mentioning Trump,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

An estimated 300,000 Cubans now make a living from the tourist industry, a major source of foreign currency for the Caribbean island which has been subject to a de facto economic blockade by the US since the 1960s, after the revolutionary communist government came to power.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a time when I would have said \u2018things are bad, but we have these options and we can do this\u2019,\u201d says Alonso. \u201cI\u2019m the face of this hotel and I just can\u2019t lie any more. I know that what the guests are saying is true.\u201d <\/p>\n

He asks: \u201cDo they really want an immersive experience of going into the street when they\u2019re pitch black?\u201d <\/p>\n

\"PrivatePrivate petrol stations have closed across Havana, as the government rations fuel. Photo by Hannah McCarthy for The Irish Times <\/p>\n

Ricardo Torres Perez, a visiting researcher at American University in Washington, DC, says although Cuba\u2019s energy shortage has worsened over the past month due to US pressure to restrict the island\u2019s access to fuel, the crisis itself is not new. On LinkedIn, he said the Cuban government has failed to allocate long-term investment to guarantee electricity generation and distribution, and instead \u201callowed the grid … to age until it became fragile.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, economists such as Emily Morris say US<\/a> sanctions have made it difficult for Cuba to source, pay and import new parts and machinery to improve the efficiency of its existing power plants and energy infrastructure. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat [the US] intended was for the Cuban economy to be under such a strain that there will be political upheaval or regime change,\u201d Morris told the Cuba Analysis podcast. \u201cBut what they\u2019ve actually done is they have pushed Cuba back into where it was during the Cold War in trading with the US rivals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moscow-based newspaper Izvestia has reported Russia is planning to supply oil and fuel products to Cuba as \u201chumanitarian aid\u201d. <\/p>\n

Osniel Diaz, a 34-year-old Cuban who drives 1950s vintage cars for tourists visiting Havana, says he used to make $300-$400 per day, mostly from American tourists during \u201cthe Obama years\u201d from 2015-2016 when Cold War-era relations thawed and Washington temporarily normalised diplomatic relations with Havana. <\/p>\n

\u201cAmericans and Europeans like the same things,\u201d says Diaz. \u201cThe only difference is the Americans pay more.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"RevenueRevenue from the tourism sector in Cuba declined by 70 per cent between 2019 and 2025. Photo by Hannah McCarthy for The Irish Times <\/p>\n

Since the first Trump administration added Cuba to a list of state sponsors of terror and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of European tourists arriving in Cuba has also tumbled. Revenue from the tourism sector in Cuba fell by 70 per cent between 2019 and 2025. <\/p>\n

Before the latest fuel crisis began, Diaz used to drive up to six customers a day along the Malecon highway to take selfies at the Plaza of the Revolution. On some days in February, Diaz had no customers. He says if he starts earning less than an average of $60 per day, he will be better off working as a driver on La Nave, Cuba\u2019s version of Uber. <\/p>\n

With most public buses no longer running, La Nave is quickly overloaded with requests in the evening time, leaving tricycles or \u201cbicitaxis\u201d with extra business ferrying people home around central and old Havana. <\/p>\n

\"TheThe fuel crisis in Cuba is forcing many workers turn to reply on electric tricycles and bicycle taxis. Photograph: Yamil Lage\/AFP\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Longer blackouts and dwindling numbers of police on the streets have led to a growing sense of insecurity on the streets, say Havana residents. Alonso says just a few months ago it was safe to walk along the streets in the middle of the night but \u201cnot right now, not in 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in a climate of panic,\u201d says Shayra Pernia, (39), who regularly works in Cuba\u2019s sex tourism industry. \u201cBy 9pm, when night falls, people try to walk in pairs. Women avoid being alone. Trans people like me avoid being on the streets because there\u2019s a change due to the time of day.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"ShayraShayra Pernia: “We\u2019re in a climate of panic.\u201d Photo by Hannah McCarthy for The Irish Times <\/p>\n

Pernia says fewer and fewer tourists are contacting her through international escort websites \u201cbecause even the foreigners themselves know that gasoline is scarce and the service in the hotels is tedious.\u201d <\/p>\n

She says: \u201cThe city is like a ghost town, and you don\u2019t see any police. Before, we used to see police patrols in Havana. Now we don\u2019t see them, we\u2019re alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0What\u2019s the deal between Donald Trump and Cuba?Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A solitary guard standing watch at Hotel Raquel, off Havana\u2019s historic old plaza, turns on the lights in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":301835,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[72,23169,969,113,33552,61,60,92549],"class_list":{"0":"post-301834","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-cuba","10":"tag-donald-trump","11":"tag-economy","12":"tag-fidel-castro","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-venezuela"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=301834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301834\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/301835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=301834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=301834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=301834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}