Hotels scale back, airlines cancel flights as economic crisis hits Cuba hard

With airlines cancelling flights to Cuba, the once-thriving tourism industry is facing yet another setback.

The challenges keep mounting for Canadians travelling to Cuba.

Major hotel operators have scaled back and credit card companies are pulling out.

On Friday, Sunwing and Westjet joined other airlines in suspending their Cuban operations.

A Spanish hotel chain is closing some of its properties on the island, adding to a growing list of challenges facing one of Cuba’s most important industries.

For Canadian travel agents, the shift is hard to miss.

“It is a significant shift because Cuba has long been one of the more affordable destinations that Canadians travel to, particularly for families looking for value,” said Amra Duravokiv, a spokesperson for the Flight Centre Travel Group.

She says flight suspensions, service cuts, and infrastructure problems have pushed many travellers toward other sun destinations.

“A lot of airlines are adding new routes and capacity to meet that demand. The driving choice right now for destinations is certainty,” Duravokiv said.

Travel expert Philippe Larose-Desmarais says the Dominican Republic and Mexico are emerging as top alternatives — and with demand rising, so are prices.

“Ballpark, due to inflation as well, I would say it did get up maybe 15 to 25 per cent more than last year for the same trips,” said Larose-Desmarais, owner of Aéroport Voyage.

But the bigger story, he says, is what’s happening in Cuba.

“It’s more than the hotel industry suffering. It’s like an economic crisis going on,” Larose-Desmarais said.

A member of a Quebec group that delivers humanitarian aid to Cuba was there just last month and told CTV News that medical supplies are among the most urgent needs.

“People that are healthy in general are doing OK. They can manage to get their food, and they don’t need particular health care. But for people who are vulnerable, it’s terrible,” said Sean O’Donoghue, spokesperson for the Quebec-Cuba Solidarity Roundtable.

“There are actually people that are dying because of what’s happening.”

Christian Lemire has been making regular trips to Cuba for years. He has been raising money and collecting donations in Quebec to help local families. He is currently there visiting his girlfriend.

“Where I’m at, it’s like 50 hours without electricity right now,” Lemire said.

He says the need for outside support has only grown as conditions have worsened.

“For all the people living in the area here, it’s very difficult for them,” he explained.

Despite the hardships, Lemire says many Cubans continue to find ways to get by as the country navigates another difficult chapter.