Tourism in Cuba plummets as tensions with US increase and Venezuela oil shipments drop

HAVANA (AP) — It’s almost noon in Havana when a handful of tourists tumble out of a small yellow bus and rush toward a row of shiny classic cars, cameras in hand.

Nearby, under the shade of a beach almond tree, a group of drivers jump to their feet, some hoping for their first customer of the day.

But the tourists take a couple of quick selfies in front of brightly coloured cars ranging from a 1950 Pontiac to a 1960 Buick and walk away.

“This is grim,” said Reymundo Aldama, who drives a bubblegum pink 1957 convertible Ford Fairlane.

“We’re waiting for them to come, we’re waiting for work.”

Tourism in Cuba is plummeting at a time when the island desperately needs that revenue, with the number of visitors dropping by nearly 70% since 2018. For almost two decades, a steady stream of visitors sparked a boom in tourism, only for the COVID-19 pandemic and severe blackouts to hit, coupled with increased US sanctions.

Now, Cubans whose livelihood depends on tourism are among those suffering the most as the island braces for what experts warn could be a catastrophic economic crisis following a disruption in oil shipments from Venezuela after the US attacked the South American country and arrested its president.

In another blow, Mexico’s president said Tuesday that her country would temporarily suspend oil shipments to Cuba.

The situation is already acute for Rosbel Figueredo Ricardo, 30, who sells a popular Cuban street food known as “chivirico,” fried flour chips sprinkled with sugar.

He used to load 150 bags of chips every morning onto a plastic tray he balances on his shoulder and sell out by late afternoon. Nowadays, he only loads 50 bags a day, works from dawn until night-time and sometimes doesn’t sell a single bag.

“I’m a mid-level industrial mechanical technician, and look at me here,” he said.

Figueredo has a partner and three children, with a fourth one on the way, so he frets.

“This is our day-to-day, so we can eat,” he said.

On a recent afternoon, unable to find any tourists near Havana’s famed seawall, he walked toward the Spanish embassy, hoping that some of the dozens of Cubans who line up daily seeking a visa to leave the island will buy from him.

For decades, tourism generated up to $3 billion a year for Cuba.

Visitors would pack into restaurants, crowd along Havana’s seawall and gather at imposing monuments and state buildings.

The constant flow of passengers boosted employment and led to the opening of hundreds of small businesses including hostels and restaurants.

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.