International arrivals in Cuba fall 64.4% in eight months
From January through August 2026, 450,353 visitors arrived, 813,979 fewer than in the same period a year earlier; Canada accounted for nearly half of the loss.
Cuba received 450,353 international visitors from January through August 2026, 64.4% fewer than in the same period of 2025. Preliminary figures from the National Office of Statistics and Information place the first eight months of the year at 813,979 fewer arrivals than in the comparable period. The decline reflects a sharp contraction in the flow of travelers to the island during those months.
The figure for the same interval in 2025 was 1,264,332 visitors. The difference between the two periods amounts to a decline of nearly two thirds: the 2026 figure is about 35.6% of the total reached a year earlier. The comparison shows the scale of the setback without confusing it with a full-year result, since the figures cover only January through August.
Canada accounted for nearly half of the loss in international visitors, with a decline of close to 400,000 travelers. The reduction from that market explains a substantial part of the overall balance, though not the entire drop. The Canadian decline occurred amid flight suspensions and a shortage of aviation fuel, factors linked in the available information to the tourism contraction.
Air Canada suspended operations on February 9 amid a shortage of aviation fuel affecting its flights to Cuba. Fuel scarcity, canceled air connections and deteriorating tourism services are also among the circumstances associated with the sector’s difficult performance. The available data do not break down how much each factor contributed to the total decline in arrivals.
August ended with 30,490 international visitors, according to the cited balance for that month. At the same time, Cubans living abroad account for a growing share of those visiting the island. That change in the composition of arrivals is occurring while the total number of travelers remains far below the 2025 level and Canada accounts for nearly half of the loss recorded through August.