Vanessa Buschschlüter (BBC News) writes about the radical decline of tourism to Cuba caused by ever tightening US sanctions, with airlines like Air Canada suspending flights to the island indefinitely. Spanish hotel chains Meliá and Iberostar also halted their operations in Cuba as US sanctions and oil blockade continue strangling day to day life. Here are excerpts.

The number of foreign travellers visiting Cuba has plummeted since the beginning of the year amid tightened US sanctions, figures released by Cuba’s national statistics agency suggest. Fewer than 360,000 people visited the Communist-run island in the first five months of 2026, a decrease of 58.4% compared to the same period last year, according to Onei.

The Trump administration has targeted the tourism sector, a key source of income for Cuba’s beleaguered government, as part of its pressure campaign against the island’s leadership. As a result, a number of foreign airlines and hotel operators have stopped operating in Cuba, further driving down visitor numbers.

Earlier this month, Air Canada announced it was suspending its flights to Cuba indefinitely, citing the “ongoing political and economic uncertainty” as its reason.

The carrier had already stopped flying to the island in February because of a shortage of aviation fuel on the Caribbean island.

The move comes as a particular blow as Onei figures suggest visitors from Canada constituted by far the largest contingent of foreign tourists to Cuba this year.

Spanish hotel chains Meliá and Iberostar also halted their operations at a significant number of hotels ahead of a 5 June deadline set by the US government for companies to cease doing business with Cuban conglomerate Gaesa. [. . .]

US sanctions and an effective oil blockade have exacerbated already existing shortages of fuel, medicines and food in Cuba.

Cubadebate, a state-run news site, reported on Monday that the survival rate for children with cancer had fallen from 85% to 65% since January, when US President Donald Trump threatened to impose sanctions on any country or company providing Cuba with oil.

The lack of fuel has paralysed large sectors of the economy, including rubbish collection, leading to piles of garbage piling up in city streets. [. . .]

For full article, see https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg8zrm20jjo