Travel agents say Canada’s diminished access to Cuba after recent flight suspensions and shortages is shifting demand toward more expensive destinations like Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
The Story
Canadian travel agents say the crisis in Cuba is sending travellers looking for winter sun to pricier alternatives as airlines suspended flights to the island and the country continues to face shortages.
The disruption began after the United States’ oil blockade against Cuba led to severe fuel shortages, prompting Canadian airlines to indefinitely suspend flights to Cuba earlier this year.
Ashley Harold, a travel agent with Flight Centre Canada, said Mexico, the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean destinations such as Aruba, Barbados and Jamaica are receiving much of the diversion. She said: “There isn’t one new Cuba, if you will. Canadians, they’re really spreading their winter travel across a much wider mix of destinations and trip types.”
Harold also said some travellers are considering Caribbean cruises or tours to other warmer destinations such as Costa Rica or Peru, while domestic tourism is also picking up as some Canadians choose “fantastic” winter trips in places ranging from Alberta to the West Coast.
Harold said the lack of Cuban vacation options has led some Canadians to book other destinations earlier for better pricing and selection, and she noted Cuba had welcomed more than a million Canadians annually before the pandemic. She said visits have since fallen to around 700,000 in 2025, citing Statistics Canada, and she said the agency recorded 127,000 Canadian visits to Cuba in the first quarter of 2026.
The Canadian government still advises Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel to Cuba due to shortages of medicine, food and fuel.
John Wood, president of Durham Travel east of Toronto, said Cuba’s regular appeal is tied to customers being “value conscious” and taking multiple trips when costs are low. He said some of his clients used to go “three, four or five times a year … because they could go for a very reasonable price, get away and enjoy the sun and beautiful beaches,” and that “now they can’t do that anymore.”
Wood said his agency’s sales to Cuba dropped from more than $389,000 last year to just $24,000 so far in 2026, while he said sales for the Dominican Republic increased from about $1 million in 2025 to nearly $1.3 million so far this year.
At Flight Centre Canada, Harold said Mexico remains the top destination, even if it is pricier. She said a seven-day package at a four-star resort in Varadero, Cuba with a flight from Toronto cost under $1,400 per person around the last holiday season, while she said comparable trips to Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica cost around $1,800 this year based on Flight Centre data.
Harold said travellers used to Cuba pricing may need to “reset in expectations” when shopping and suggested that the shift could still allow some people to “get creative” with their plans. She said: “I think this is a great opportunity for Canadians to branch out a little bit more with their travels and experience something new.”
← More stories