Cuba Closes Hotels, Relocates Tourists as Fuel Shortage Deepens

Cuban authorities began closing hotel properties and relocating international visitors on Feb. 13, 2026, as part of a government plan to concentrate limited fuel, electricity and staffing resources in fewer facilities, Vice Prime Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga said on state television. “A plan has been designed for tourism to reduce energy consumption, consolidate tourist facilities, and make the most of the high season currently underway,” Pérez-Oliva Fraga said, while EFE reported anonymous sector sources saying closures began that Friday in Varadero and on the northern cays.

The northern cay Cayo Coco is a focal point of the shutdowns. Bloomberg, cited by Latintimes, reported that at least two large beach resorts on Cayo Coco closed over the weekend and that guests have been relocated to another resort about 30 miles away. An employee at Mojito Cayo Coco told Bloomberg via Latintimes that “it is the first time he has seen a temporary shutdown resulting from a non-weather event” and that the resort closed because there was no fuel for employees to get to work.

On-the-ground accounts from Varadero describe an already diminished tourism scene before the latest closures. An anonymous young woman quoted by El País said, “In Varadero, it has become normal to see empty streets and restaurants with no customers… The recreational areas have almost no customers; there’s no variety on offer, and the quality has declined significantly,” and warned the fuel shortage will worsen conditions for staff who remain. El País also listed Hotel Metrópoli as ordered temporarily closed and named Hotel Meliá Cohíba, Hotel Nacional de Cuba and the controversial Torre K among high-profile Havana properties that appeared unaware of the fuel problems.

Air travel disruptions have compounded the sector’s losses. Yahoo and Hotel Management Network reported that Air Canada has cancelled all flights to Cuba until at least May 2026, affecting thousands of travelers and triggering repatriation flights for passengers already on the island. Those outlets also noted broader flight cancellations and route reductions by other carriers and that some foreign governments have issued travel advisories.

The closures come against a longer decline in arrivals. EFE noted Cuba hit a record 4.7 million tourists in 2018, while the Associated Press, cited by Latintimes, put visitor numbers at about 1.6 million between January and November 2025—a fall of nearly 70% since 2018. Analysts quoted in syndicated coverage warned that prolonged fuel constraints could prompt additional hotel suspensions, staffing disruptions and further drops in visitor numbers.

Explanations for the shortages vary by source. EFE framed the measures as responses to an “oil siege imposed by the United States,” Latintimes cited U.S. pressure and references to a prior “energy embargo,” and multiple outlets listed pandemic disruption, a severe domestic economic and energy crisis, and reductions in air routes as contributing factors. President Miguel Díaz-Canel cautioned, “We’ll live through tough times. These, in particular, are very tough,” and UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned Cuba could “collapse” if conditions persist, Latintimes reported.

Officials have not published a comprehensive list of affected properties or the total number of relocated guests; EFE noted Pérez-Oliva Fraga did not specify details of the consolidation. With major chains such as Meliá, Iberostar and Blue Diamond operating widely in Cuba, the immediate next steps—exact hotel tallies, firm airline schedules and formal government directives—remain to be confirmed.