Some travellers are still going to Cuba, but they’re managing their expectations

Canada has issued a travel advisory for Cuba as it suffers fuel and food shortages.

The federal government has issued a travel advisory for Canadians headed to Cuba.

“So, it means that Canadians travelling to Cuba need to be aware that there are certain risks involved with their travel,” explained Robert Huish, an associate professor of International Development Studies at Dalhousie University.

“Right now in Cuba, the risks are going to be to people’s comfort, partially to their safety.”

With President Donald Trump and the United States having control over Venezuela, the concern for Cuba is getting power and supplies.

“Right now, the United States is prohibiting any importation of Venezuelan diesel or any oil into the country. So even the resorts are going to struggle to keep the lights on or to keep the groceries on the table,” said Huish.

Venezuela was one of the few countries that had continued to provide for Cuba since the mid-sixties.

“Cuba’s had strained relations with the U.S. since the 1960s under the embargo. And, as a result of that, only a few countries in the world will do business with Cuba. And there’s something called the Helms-Burton Act, which was passed in 1996. And what that does is it prohibits third-party countries dealing with Cuba and the United States at the same time,” explained Huish.

“Now that Venezuela has a transactional relationship with the United States, if they continue to send any oil to Cuba, that’ll be a problem. And a similar sort of ultimatum has been put on Mexico as well. Russia has traditionally also sent energy to Cuba in the past, but they are also in a lot of hot water because of sanctions and the shadow fleet and the cost of getting any sort of contraband oil to Cuba, it’s way too high, so they’re not going to bother doing it.”

‘Not a recommendation we’ve had for a while’

For travel agents in the Maritimes, it means more in-depth conversations with those headed down south.

“It just means that we should be looking at exercising a degree of caution, looking at that destination,” said Myranda Miller, branch manager at Maritime Travel in Halifax.

“It should be, a more detailed conversation with the client about what to expect at the destination and what interruptions they may have. But it’s not a recommendation we’ve had for a while. There has been shortages and power outages and such for some time.”

But for those who have been to Cuba a number of times, it’s about managing expectations.

“I have some friends down there and people who I know from here who are travelling right now, even, and there’s always a shortage,” Mitchell Pottier told CTV News.

“Sometimes in the morning you might have ketchup, in the afternoon, you don’t. So, if there’s something that you really are fond of having all the time where it’s something that you need to have, bring it with you.”

The government issues advisories based on intel from staff at the embassies and public reporting, as well as facts like disease outbreak and crime stats.

“There’s a lot of information there that can seem alarmist, but it’s based on what Canadian intelligence can acquire, often through their own diplomatic staff on the ground who relayed that back,” said Huish. “And it gives Canadians a sense, OK, there are certain risks involved with this particular country, and it can help balance that perspective.”

For Miller, she’s had different reviews from people coming back from recent Cuba trips.

“It’s a bit mixed, actually. We are having people that are going and coming back and having a great time and had no shortages, they’ve had a great vacation,” she said.

“But then there’s others where they say, it’s not been a great experience. It’s very inconsistent. And that’s really what we’re dealing with. That’s the issue that we have. We don’t know if the week they arrive, they’re going to get their shipment and supplies.”

Still, for those who have gone to Cuba before, the issued warning may not stop them, but may cause them to manage their expectations.

“I would still go,” said Pottier. “The Cubans are so proud and happy of their island, and they’ll do anything for you. So, I would say that trumps any advisory.”