The company seeks options to offset the effects of the collapse of international tourism
14ymedio, Havana, 28 May 2026 / The Canadian hotel chain Blue Diamond reopened three resorts this week on the beaches of Varadero, despite the dramatic drop in tourism (55.8% fewer arrivals in the first four months of 2026 compared to the same period the previous year). The announcement was initially disseminated in brief form by the Havanatur agency and picked up by the official outlet Sol de Cuba, which reported that on 22 May the Royalton Hicacos-Varadero – a five-star all-inclusive hotel with sea-view rooms and diving programmes – resumed operations.
The other two properties that reopened are the Resonance Musique, a four-star hotel offering sports courts and an extensive themed dining offer in addition to its beach, designed for groups and families, which reopened last Monday – the same day as the Resonance Blu Varadero, also four-star, “with direct beach access” and other services. The specialist outlet Reportur noted this Wednesday that the move appears aimed at attracting domestic tourists.
“We are preparing new incentives to increase arrivals of Cubans living abroad; we want to develop that market,” Lessner Gomez, Director General of Marketing at the Ministry of Tourism, highlighted in April.
“We are preparing new incentives to increase arrivals of Cubans living abroad; we want to develop that market”
In an interview with Sol de Cuba, he said the aim was to boost the sector during the country’s holiday season. “We have done extremely important work to create every facility for Cubans living abroad and also for their families,” he added.
He also reported that the ministry had designed special programmes in Havana, Pinar del Rio and Varadero, including car rental and hotel services tailored to the needs of those travelling to the island to be reunited with their families.
On the subject of international tourism, the official denied that the sector’s collapse – far below pre-COVID-19 pandemic figures – is due to quality issues. Instead, he used the opportunity to blame “the laws and sanctions that the United States Government” has imposed on Cuba. “Otherwise, we would today have a peak season higher than last year’s, which was the trend that had been shown in January.”
His optimism, however, collides with the cold hard figures from the Cuban Government itself. In 2025, the island closed the year with barely 1.8 million international visitors – the worst figure since 2002, excluding the pandemic years. The hotel occupancy rate fell to 21.5% in the first half of the year, and the main source markets, Canada and Russia, also declined. Far off are the 4.7 million tourists reached in 2018, during the thaw with the United States.
Of last year’s international visitors, 754,000 were Canadian – the main source of foreign travellers to Cuba – representing a 12.4% drop compared to 2024
Of last year’s international visitors, 754,000 were Canadian – the main source of foreign travellers to Cuba – representing a 12.4% decline compared to 2024, according to official Cuban figures.
Blue Diamond’s properties, along with other major hotel chains, began to close last February due to a “critical shortage of fuel” for aircraft flying to Cuba, which led Canadian airlines – the source of the majority of their guests – to suspend their flights to the island.
Both Blue Diamond and the main foreign companies managing properties on the island were forced to close the majority of their hotels – already half-empty despite being peak season – and to concentrate resources in just a few of them.
Translated by GH
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