Spanish hotel chain Melia completes exit from Cuba

By Ayose Naranjo

HAVANA, July ‌24 (Reuters) - Spanish ​hotel group ​Melia said it has ceased all operations of its 34 hotels in Cuba on Friday amid the hardening ‌of U.S. sanctions and the island’s growing economic crisis.

Melia ⁠cited operational, legal, and financial difficulties as the determining factors for its departure ‌from the island, where it ‌has had a major presence since 1990. The hotels were run through its Portuguese subsidiary Ilha Bela Gestao E Turismo.

Friday’s complete ​withdrawal from Cuba follows Melia’s announcement last month that it was ceasing operations of 15 of its 34 hotels.

Its departure ⁠follows recent announcements from privately-owned Iberostar and Barceló, marking the end of decades of involvement ​in the island’s tourism market by the three main Spanish hotel chains.

Tourism, a key engine of Cuba's ​economy, has slumped this year as the ‌island faces a widening economic crisis amid an oil blockade imposed by the U.S. at the beginning ⁠of 2026. Between January and April, international visitor arrivals fell to 328,608, a 56% drop from the same period in 2025.

“There is no tourism ⁠flow, there is no income, and no economy. The impact is huge,” said ​Teresa Carrillo, a 62-year-old resident of Havana.

Pressure from Washington increased earlier this month when the U.S. imposed sanctions on Cuba's Ministry of Tourism.

The hotel closures ‌come amid a wider exodus of international companies, including financial and logistics businesses, evaluating the increased risk ‌of operating in Cuba after Washington’s tightened sanctions.

Visa and Mastercard halted ⁠several operations, while key airlines ‌such as Air ​France, Turkish Airlines, Iberia, and World2Fly suspended flights to the island.

(Reporting by Ayose Naranjo in Havana; Editing by ‌Sonali Paul)

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