Power cuts and shortages of basic items plague the Communist-ruled island’s vital sector
by Ed Augustin (in Havana) (Financial Times)
A swashbuckling history, vintage cars, Caribbean beaches and one of the safest destinations in the Americas: in theory, Cuba’s tourism industry should be booming.
Yet annual visitor numbers to the Communist-ruled island nation have almost halved in six years, falling from 4.7mn in 2017 to 2.4mn last year. And since an electricity grid failure caused four days of nationwide blackouts last month, tour operators said they have had significant cancellations from worried tourists with bookings in the high season, which stretches from November through March.
“While there will always be food and water for tourists with dollars in their pockets, we can’t guarantee that the lights will be on, so we have to advise customers to bring rechargeable torches, fans and power banks,” said Gareth Johnson, founder of Young Pioneer Tours.
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