Cuba Blackouts And Melissa Damage Hit Tourism

Published on Nov 26, 2025, 12:52 pm CST

9 min read

Key points

Fuel imports to Cuba are down about 35 percent in 2025, forcing shutdown of nearly one third of power generation and driving long daily blackouts
Hurricane Melissa left tens of thousands of homes damaged in eastern Cuba, with many families still in temporary shelters and without reliable water or electricity
Unplanned outages in Havana now often exceed nine hours a day, while some rural areas receive only two to four hours of power
Most large hotels and resorts can keep basic services running on generators, but small guesthouses and local businesses are heavily affected
Travelers planning trips through early 2026 should expect heat, limited internet, cash only payments, and bring extra medicines and power banks or consider alternative Caribbean destinations

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Expect the most severe and unpredictable outages in eastern provinces hit by Hurricane Melissa and in smaller towns away from Havana and Varadero
Best Times To Travel: Travelers with fixed plans should favor larger beach resorts and central Havana through early 2026 while monitoring whether fuel supplies and repair funding improve
Onward Travel And Changes: Allow extra time for airport transfers and intercity buses that may be slowed by fuel shortages, road damage, and ad hoc local roadblocks
Health And Safety Factors: Heat, humidity, interrupted water supply, and medication shortages mean travelers with medical needs should be cautious about staying in blackout prone areas
What Travelers Should Do Now: Confirm generator capacity and water systems with any hotel or casa, pack cash and charging gear, and be ready to reroute or postpone if conditions worsen

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Cuba blackouts tourism is the new reality for many winter travelers, as fuel shortages and Hurricane Melissa damage have combined to shut nearly one third of the island's power generation and leave neighborhoods from Havana, Cuba, to Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, facing hours long daily outages. International visitors, tour groups, and Cuban diaspora travelers are already feeling the effects in the form of inconsistent air conditioning, patchy internet, and occasional water cuts even in busy tourist corridors. Anyone planning a trip through early 2026 should build in more resilience, choose properties with strong backup systems, and be ready to change plans if conditions deteriorate.

In practical terms, the Cuba blackouts tourism crisis means fuel supply cuts and hurricane damage are likely to keep power, water, and some basic services unstable for months, so travelers must decide whether to adapt, upgrade, or postpone trips.

Why Blackouts Are Worsening Now

Cuba's latest power crisis is rooted in a sharp fall in imported fuel. Reuters reporting in mid November 2025 found that overall crude and fuel imports in the first ten months of the year were down about 35 percent compared with 2024, including a roughly 73 percent cut in supplies from Mexico and a smaller drop from Venezuela. That shortfall has forced authorities to shut nearly a third of daily power generation capacity, leaving Havana residents with unplanned outages that often stretch beyond nine hours and some rural areas with only two to four hours of electricity each day.

Those numbers are on top of an already fragile grid that has suffered repeated nationwide and regional blackouts since 2024 because of aging plants and chronic under investment. Analysts tracking the energy system describe deficits at peak hours that can exceed 1,600 to 2,000 megawatts, a shortfall that leaves little margin for error when a major plant fails or a fuel shipment is delayed.

Hurricane Melissa's Long Tail In Eastern Cuba

Hurricane Melissa hit eastern Cuba in late October 2025 as one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Caribbean, bringing extreme rainfall to the Rio Cauto basin and storm surge along the southern coast. United Nations situation reports estimate that more than 60,000 homes in the eastern provinces sustained total or partial damage, and that close to one million people need some form of humanitarian assistance, with housing losses particularly concentrated in Santiago de Cuba Province.

Associated Press and local coverage from Rio Cauto and coastal municipalities such as Guama describe families still living in tents or schools almost a month after landfall, hauling water from rivers, and relying on intermittent water trucks and donations for drinking water. Entire neighborhoods remain without reliable power or piped water, and road blockades have appeared in some areas as frustration grows over the slow pace of repairs and temporary shelter conditions.

For travelers, that means Hurricane Melissa's footprint on Cuba is very different from the recovery picture in Jamaica, where key tourist corridors are already on a fast reopening track. Our earlier coverage of Jamaica hotel reopenings after Melissa shows how quickly major resort zones can come back when infrastructure and funding align, in sharp contrast to the deeper structural strains now visible in eastern Cuba.

Sanctions, Economic Crisis, And Tourism

The blackout and recovery problems sit on top of a broader economic crisis. A United Nations human rights expert who visited Havana in November 2025 warned that strengthened United States sanctions are aggravating shortages of food, medicine, fuel, spare parts, and even water infrastructure, and argued that the embargo is limiting Cuba's ability to earn foreign currency and import essential goods.

Independent economists point to inflation that has eroded local purchasing power, a large fiscal deficit, and a steady exodus of professionals, including medical and technical staff, which makes it harder to maintain power plants, hospitals, and water systems. Tourism, once a key source of foreign currency, is also under pressure. Recent analyses suggest that international arrivals in 2025 are down around 20 percent compared with the previous year, a decline attributed in part to blackouts, service shortages, and reduced air connectivity.

For visitors, this combination of shocks does not mean Cuba is closed to tourism, but it does mean that the country is operating with far less slack than in a typical high season. When fuel, staff, or spare parts run short, services that usually shield tourists from hardship can strain or fail.

What This Means For Hotels, Resorts, And Casas

The good news for mainstream travelers is that many larger hotels and resorts have invested in backup generators and water systems. Travel operators and on the ground guides report that important public facilities such as hospitals, police stations, and some government buildings, along with major hotels, can often maintain core functions even during long outages.

In practice, that often translates into lights, basic air conditioning, and running water staying on in four and five star properties in corridors like Havana's core tourism districts and Varadero's resort strip, even when surrounding neighborhoods are dark. However, generators are not a perfect solution. They depend on scarce diesel, they are noisy, and some properties may limit nonessential loads such as elevators, pool lighting, or some restaurant operations when fuel is tight.

Smaller guesthouses and casas particulares are more exposed. Many rely on small generators, battery backups, or candles, and can struggle to keep refrigerators, fans, or water pumps running through long cuts. Travelers who prefer independent stays should assume that power, Wi Fi, and water may be interrupted for several hours a day in many neighborhoods and should ask very specific questions about backup power and water storage before committing to a booking.

Region By Region Outlook For Travelers

Havana remains the main international gateway and still offers the most resilient tourist experience, but even there, central districts are experiencing extended, unpredictable outages. Areas close to key government and tourism infrastructure, such as parts of Old Havana near the Capitolio and major hotels, tend to see shorter or better managed cuts than peripheral districts, yet they are not immune to the current deficits.

Eastern Cuba, including Santiago de Cuba, Granma, and Guantanamo Provinces, is dealing with both Melissa damage and power shortages. In these provinces, travelers are more likely to encounter damaged housing, makeshift shelters, washed out secondary roads, and longer gaps in power and water supply, especially if staying outside the main urban centers. Community based tourism projects and smaller coastal towns may need months to restore even pre crisis levels of service.

Central resort areas such as Cayo Coco and Cayo Santa Maria, along with Varadero, have seen less direct storm damage from Melissa, but they still depend on the national grid and fuel supply. Visitors there should expect some use of generators and occasional service adjustments, especially if national fuel shipments remain below normal.

Official Travel Advisories And Security Context

The United States travel advisory for Cuba currently sits at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, citing both crime risks and unreliable electrical power. The advisory notes that petty crime and some violent crime are rising and explicitly warns that power grid failures can disrupt essential services, including lighting, communications, and some security systems.

Other governments flag similar issues, emphasizing shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, along with intermittent blackouts. None of the major advisories treat Cuba as off limits for tourism at this point, but they encourage travelers to be self reliant, to keep documents and valuables secure, and to maintain situational awareness in low light conditions or during protests linked to shortages and outages.

Practical Planning Tips For Cuba Trips

If you decide to travel to Cuba in late 2025 or early 2026, the single most important step is choosing where you stay. For travelers who prioritize comfort and predictability, a mid or high end hotel with a documented generator system, water tanks, and clear contingency plans will be far more resilient than a small independent stay, especially in provinces hardest hit by Melissa.

Before confirming any booking, ask for written confirmation that the property has:

A generator sized to support guest rooms, common areas, and water pumps.
Clear fuel plans for extended outages.
Backup water storage and filtration or treatment.

Then follow up with specific questions about what is guaranteed during cuts, for example whether air conditioning, elevators, and at least one restaurant will remain operational. If responses are vague or generic, consider a different property.

Plan as if card terminals and ATMs could fail at any time. Bring more physical cash than you normally would, split it into several secure locations, and assume that card payments may not work for days if a local outage disrupts terminals or communications. A small, robust power bank, USB charging cables, and a flashlight or headlamp should be treated as essential items, not nice to have accessories.

Travelers who rely on medication, refrigeration, or medical devices need an especially conservative plan. You should carry an ample supply of any prescription medicines in original packaging, plus a letter from your doctor where appropriate, and confirm that your accommodation can store temperature sensitive drugs safely during long outages. Where that is not possible, it may be safer to delay or redirect travel until the situation stabilizes.

When To Consider Another Destination

Some trips will still be viable. Travelers staying in well equipped Havana or Varadero properties, who are flexible about intermittent outages and can tolerate warmer rooms or occasional water cuts, can likely proceed with careful planning. Visitors on cultural itineraries who are comfortable with more basic conditions and who travel with robust backup gear may also accept the tradeoffs.

However, travelers who require reliable air conditioning, frequent online connectivity, stable cold chain for medicines, or predictable water and sanitation should look seriously at alternative Caribbean destinations for the core 2025 to 2026 winter season. With fuel imports still well below previous levels and Melissa recovery needs stretching local capacity, a quick return to normal service levels across Cuba appears unlikely.

If you postpone, monitor both the energy situation and post Melissa reconstruction funding over the coming months, and keep an eye on whether Cuba's tourism sector can regain capacity as fuel flows, investment conditions, and international demand change. When those fundamentals improve, the risk profile for Cuba trips will shift in a more favorable direction.