Netherlands warns against nonessential travel to Cuba amid shortages, blackouts

The Netherlands has turned Cuba orange, and the practical message for holidaymakers is blunt: do not treat the island like a normal vacation stop. The Dutch travel advice, last changed on May 21, 2026, says travel should happen only for necessary reasons, not for leisure, and that shift carries consequences for insurance, cancellations, and whether a trip is worth keeping on the calendar.

The warning is built around a widening collapse in basic services. The Dutch government says Cuba is facing shortages of electricity, fuel, food, and medicines, with long daily power cuts across the country. Hotels and shops may lose electricity or have no reliable supply at all. Hospitals, ATMs, mobile networks, and water systems can also be affected, which means the problems are not limited to sightseeing or hotel comfort. They reach into the daily mechanics of moving around, paying for things, and staying connected.

Transport is part of the same breakdown. The advisory says buses and trains are severely limited by the fuel shortage, and flights can suddenly be canceled or require an extra stop. One May 2026 report said more than 1,700 flights to Cuba had already been canceled this year because of Jet A-1 fuel shortages at nine Cuban international airports. Another report citing Cuban tourism statistics said only 298,057 tourists arrived in the first quarter of 2026, with hotel occupancy at 21.5 percent, a sign of how hard the crisis has hit the travel sector.

For travelers, the insurance angle matters as much as the itinerary. A separate CiberCuba report on the Dutch advisory said Dutch insurers may change coverage terms under an orange warning, leaving some costs or damages in Cuba uncovered. That makes delays, rerouting, and trip interruptions more than an inconvenience. They can become out-of-pocket losses if policies narrow coverage once the advisory changes.

The Netherlands also warned that shortages of food and basic goods can feed social unrest, and that protests can emerge unexpectedly. Local authorities, it said, respond harshly to protests and public disturbances, and participants can face long prison sentences. The Dutch page added that the embassy may be less able to help if things go wrong. That warning lands in a week when Reuters and Associated Press reported that Cuba’s energy minister said the country had run out of diesel and fuel oil, and rare protests broke out in Havana amid the blackouts.

The Netherlands is not alone. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office updated Cuba guidance on May 15, 2026, Australia’s Smartraveller says to reconsider travel, and the U.S. Department of State has flagged unreliable electrical power. The orange color code now says what the blackouts already show: if the trip is optional, postpone it.