US sanctions push Cuba foreign visitor arrivals down 58 percent in early 2026

Overseas travel to Cuba has contracted sharply since the year began, official statistics from the National Statistics Agency indicate, with stepped-up United States sanctions weighing on the sector.

From January through May 2026, the island welcomed fewer than 360,000 foreign guests. That total represents a 58.4 per cent slide compared with the equivalent months a year earlier.

The Trump administration has focused pressure on tourism, a major earner for Cuba’s strained public finances, as part of its wider campaign against the country’s political leadership.

Several international airlines and hotel companies have scaled back or ended operations on the island, deepening the fall in arrivals. Earlier this month, Air Canada said it would suspend Cuba services indefinitely.

The carrier’s withdrawal is especially significant because Canadians have formed the largest block of foreign visitors to Cuba so far in 2026, according to the agency’s data.