The Spanish tour operator Soltour has outlined its plan to capture the tourist flow that once favored Cuba by focusing on the Dominican Republic and Jamaica as alternative Caribbean destinations.
Mateo Ramón, Soltour's CEO, shared insights in an interview with Hosteltur during a familiarization trip to the Dominican Republic, which was attended by nearly a hundred travel agents from Spain and Portugal.
"We have a strong commitment to the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, so we have no issues redirecting travelers from Cuba to these destinations," Ramón stated confidently.
The executive acknowledged Cuba's declining numbers, although he clarified that the market was not critical for the company. What's noteworthy is that the redirected travelers are "responding positively," according to his comments.
A Troubling Scenario for Cuba
The backdrop to this shift is grim for Cuba. Between January and August 2026, the island welcomed only 450,353 international visitors, marking a staggering 64.4% annual decline, with nearly 814,000 fewer tourists compared to the same period in 2025, as reported by the National Statistics and Information Office (ONEI).
Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz confessed to the National Assembly that 73% of the country's hotel facilities were shut down, while about 25,000 workers in the sector were in a state of "availability," a euphemism for disguised unemployment.
Factors Behind the Tourism Collapse
The reasons for the collapse in Cuba's tourism are multifaceted. They primarily include aviation fuel shortages, chronic blackouts, mass flight cancellations to the island, and U.S. sanctions. Cuba finished 2025 with just 1.81 million tourists, and the downturn has worsened in 2026.
Historically, Canada has been Cuba's main source of tourists. However, Canadian visitors dropped from 526,239 between January and August 2025 to just 128,400 in the same period of 2026. Major Canadian airlines—Air Canada, WestJet, and Air Transat—halted flights and vacation packages to Cuba, quickening the shift to other destinations.
Dominican Republic's Tourism Boom
While Cuba struggles, the Dominican Republic is experiencing a historic tourism boom. It received 8,556,415 visitors between January and August 2026, a 6.9% increase from the previous year.
Soltour is part of the Grupo Piñero, a Spanish family-owned company with a significant presence in the Caribbean through the Bahía Príncipe hotel chain. The company has refreshed its offerings in the region by partnering with Grupo Hyatt, allowing them to categorize their hotels into three segments: families, children, and adults-only.
Understanding the Shift in Caribbean Tourism
Why are tourists avoiding Cuba?
Tourists are avoiding Cuba due to aviation fuel shortages, chronic power outages, flight cancellations, and U.S. sanctions, leading to a significant decline in visitor numbers.
What destinations are benefiting from Cuba's tourism decline?
The Dominican Republic and Jamaica are benefiting from the decline in Cuba's tourism, as tour operators redirect travelers to these alternative Caribbean destinations.
How has the Dominican Republic's tourism changed recently?
The Dominican Republic has seen a significant increase in tourism, with a 6.9% rise in visitors between January and August 2026 compared to the previous year.