Canadians pick pricier spots over Cuba amid crisis
Canadian travellers accustomed to booking affordable winter vacations in Cuba face steep price hikes and canceled flights this season as a U.S. oil blockade and severe local shortages reshape the country’s tourism market, The Canadian Press reported.
Flight Suspensions and Fuel Shortages Disrupt Winter Travel
The United States oil blockade against Cuba triggered severe fuel shortages across the island earlier this year. Canadian airlines responded by indefinitely suspending flights to the destination. The Canadian government subsequently issued a travel advisory urging citizens to avoid all non-essential travel due to a scarcity of food, medicine, and fuel. Major hotel chains have pulled out of Cuba, leaving Cuba’s tourism-dependent economy facing a humanitarian crisis.
Statistics Canada data shows that visits to Cuba dropped to around 700,000 in 2025, down from more than a million annually before the pandemic. The agency recorded 127,000 Canadian visits during the first quarter of this year.
Rising Costs Force a Reset for Value-Conscious Vacationers
Cuba’s tourism market relied heavily on Canadian travellers seeking budget-friendly sunny getaways. Last holiday season, a seven-day package at a four-star resort in Varadero with a flight from Toronto cost under $1,400 per person, according to Flight Centre Canada.
Comparable packages to alternative destinations such as Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica now cost around $1,800. Ashley Harold, a travel agent at Flight Centre Canada, told The Canadian Press that travellers accustomed to traditional Cuban pricing must reset their expectations before shopping.
John Wood, president of Durham Travel east of Toronto, told The Canadian Press that his clients are typically value-conscious. Some used to visit Cuba three to five times a year because of the reasonable prices. Durham Travel’s sales to Cuba plummeted from more than $389,000 last year to just $24,000 so far into 2026.
Alternative Destinations Absorb Displaced Travellers
Canadians are spreading their winter travel across a much wider mix of destinations rather than gravitating toward a single replacement for Cuba, according to Flight Centre Canada. Mexico remains a top choice despite higher prices, while Caribbean cruises and tours to Costa Rica or Peru are seeing increased interest.
The Dominican Republic has absorbed a significant share of the shifted traffic. John Wood reported that travel sales for the Dominican Republic at his agency climbed from about $1 million in 2025 to nearly 1.3 million so far this year, noting that some travellers have expressed concerns regarding crime and large seaweed blooms in Mexico.
Domestic tourism is also gaining momentum. Travellers are increasingly exploring winter destinations within Canada, from Alberta to the West Coast, to keep their spending local. To secure best pricing and choice amid these shifts, travellers are booking alternative destinations much earlier than usual.