Instability in Cuba and Venezuela redirects tourism to Dominican Republic and Mexico

Geopolitical instability in recent months in Cuba and Venezuela has driven a reorientation of tourism in the Caribbean, benefiting destinations perceived as safer and more stable, particularly the Dominican Republic and Mexico.

According to Carlos Garrido, president of the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies (CEAV), both countries are acting as “refuge” destinations, absorbing redirected demand and experiencing price increases. In Mexico, Toni Chaves, president of the Riviera Maya Hotel Association, said that uncertainty in other Caribbean markets may have contributed to strong demand in the Mexican Caribbean, although he described the impact as marginal within a broader structural shift in tourism.

Chaves noted that this transformation favors destinations with greater air connectivity, operational stability, a stronger perception of safety, ample hotel supply, competitive pricing and strategic decisions by tour operators in source markets, all areas in which the Riviera Maya remains highly competitive.

The Dominican Republic is also experiencing a tourism boom, having welcomed 11.6 million visitors last year, a record figure representing a 37.8% increase compared to 2022, reinforcing its position as one of the region’s leading tourism destinations.

In contrast, Cuba’s tourism sector confirmed its deepening crisis in 2025, closing the year with 1.8 million international visitors, its lowest total since 2002. The decline follows a peak of 4.7 million visitors in 2018 and has been exacerbated by U.S. sanctions imposed during the first administration of Donald Trump, alongside the island’s economic and energy crises and reduced air connectivity.

At the FITUR tourism fair in January, Cuban Tourism Minister Juan Carlos García attributed the sector’s difficulties to the U.S. economic, commercial and financial embargo. Executives from Meliá Hotels International acknowledged that while recent years have already been challenging, growing instability has not helped, and confirmed a redirection of bookings from Cuba toward Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The hotel group has reduced its room availability in Cuba this month, adjusting operations to current occupancy levels and supply constraints.

Venezuela is also going through what industry leaders describe as a particularly complex period. In November, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an advisory urging extreme caution when flying over Venezuela and the southern Caribbean, leading several international airlines to suspend or reduce operations. According to César Gutiérrez, president of the Spanish Federation of Territorial Associations of Travel Agencies (Fetave), the slowdown is less the result of waning tourist interest and more a consequence of operational challenges and weakened air connectivity, reinforcing the broader regional shift toward more stable destinations.