Sawt Falasteen - Cuban tourism in crisis; visitors repelled by fuel, power shortages

Around 1.8 million people visited the Caribbean island last year, down 17.8 percent from the previous year, the national statistics office ONEI said.

The government of the cash-strapped nation of 11 million people, which relies on tourism to bring in hard currency, had been hoping for 2.6 million arrivals.

The country's main tourist markets all shrank last year.

Visits by Cubans living abroad, mostly in the United States, fell 22.6 percent.

Arrivals from Germany, Russia and Canada were down 50.5 percent, 29 percent and 12.4 percent respectively.

Last year "was terrible for international tourism to Cuba," Cuban economist Pedro Monreal wrote on X, adding: "We knew that would happen."

Cuba is in the throes of its worst economic crisis in decades, marked by power outages of up to 20 hours a day and critical shortages of fuel, medicines and food.

The outlook has worsened sharply since the January 3 overthrow of Cuba's closest ally, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

US President Donald Trump has been ratcheting up pressure on Havana ever since, predicting its communist leadership is "ready to fall."

He has vowed to cut off the flow of Venezuelan oil to Havana -- for years the island's main supplier -- and threatened tariffs on any other countries that provide oil to the country.

Several countries have revised their travel advice for Cuba since the start of the year.

While most advise caution due to the shortages of fuel, power and other basics, Argentina has advised its nationals to avoid the island altogether.

R.Shaban--SF-PST