Cuban authorities assure Canadians of stability of tourist operations

Cuban Ministry of Tourism representatives reassured Canadian travelers regarding tourist operations on the island, which expects to welcome one million visitors from the northern nation in 2026. An average of 120 weekly flights connect Canada directly this winter with the destinations of Varadero, Cayo Santa María, Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Paredón, and Cayo Cruz, as Director General of Marketing Lessner Gómez reported at a recent press conference in Toronto.

Carlos M. Latuff, president of the Gaviota Tourism Group; Gipsy Hernández, president of the Cubanacán Hotel Group; and Gihana Galindo, Cuban tourism counsellor to Canada, were also present at the press conference. The Ministry of Tourism official assured that the Caribbean nation has sufficient fuel and other supplies to guarantee the long-term operations of its hotel facilities.

Addressing concerns raised by the events in Venezuela on January 3 and their potential impact on Cuba, officials clarified that the Ministry of Tourism, with all its hotel chains and its aviation division, has the necessary fuel to operate normally.

Gómez also explained that hotels have backup power generators to maintain services in case of power outages, and that epidemiological surveillance and a control system are being maintained by health and tourism authorities regarding mosquito-borne arboviruses.

Cuban Tourism Minister Juan Carlos García Granda will meet with Canadian tour operators at the International Tourism Fair in Spain next week, Lessner Gómez  announced. Toward the end of the conference, he thanked the press, travel agencies, tour operators, and the Canadian people for their loyalty and stated that Cuba continues to be a safe destination with a hospitable and supportive people.

“Cubans love Canadians and Canadians love Cuba,” he stressed, and noted that Canada and Cuba will celebrate 80 years of bilateral relations this 2026.