Local travel agent shares update on Cuba crisis impacting tourists – SteinbachOnline.com

A travel agent from Steinbach is encouraging locals who might currently be in Cuba to exercise patience. Mary Jane Hiebert of Oyster Travel Service says it may take a little bit of a coordinated effort, and it might mean spending a few extra days in that country, but she says you will make it home. 

Hiebert is referring to the ongoing crisis in Cuba, which is impacting locals but also the tourism industry. She explains the crisis includes a shortage of food and water at resorts. It also means there are issues with power grids in Cuba, resulting in daily blackouts. 

“So, they are not getting hot water, they are not having electricity, resorts are going black,” explains Hiebert. “So, it’s really, really unfortunate and quite dire in many cases. Presently, some resorts are actually even shutting down.”

Hiebert says she has been hearing of situations where only certain resorts are staying open. So, if one resort has more supplies like food and water, it might pull in tourists from other resorts. 

Airlines improvising to bring Canadian tourists home

The situation in Cuba has resulted in airlines suspending service to Cuba. On Monday, Air Canada announced that the suspension is due to an ongoing shortage of aviation fuel on the island. It says that in the coming days it will operate empty flights southbound to pick up approximately 3,000 customers already at destination and return them home. 

“The Cuban government has said that airlines that come into the country will not be able to refuel,” adds Hiebert. “What I do know from the Canadian carriers is that they will fly to Cuba empty; so, no passengers, just crew, because that way they don’t have to refuel, they will have enough fuel to come back to Canada with a full plane.”

Air Canada says it made this decision following advisories issued by governments regarding the unreliability of the aviation fuel supply at Cuban airports. 

WestJet issued a similar statement on Monday, noting it has made the decision to begin an orderly winddown of winter operations to Cuba. It says this is inclusive of WestJet, Sunwing Vacations, WestJet Vacations and Vacances WestJet Quebec. The statement says that in order to lessen the strain on local resources, WestJet will depart Canada with empty aircraft to support the organized return of guests currently vacationing in Cuba. It says that all aircraft dispatched to Cuba will carry sufficient fuel to safely depart without reliance on local fuel availability. 

Hiebert chose not to send clients to Cuba

Hiebert says she does not have any clients impacted by the crisis in Cuba. 

“It’s been my decision not to sell Cuba this year,” she explains. 

According to Hiebert, the problem started last year already. Hiebert says at the time, she had clients at a resort in Cuba who faced similar shortages. Combine that with the power grid issues, as well as the reports she was hearing of Cuban residents not being able to get enough food, and Hiebert says she made the decision not to send travellers there.

“I just thought I would not want to take the resources as a tourist in that country when the citizens of that country can’t even enjoy normal life,” she adds. “And so, I’ve made a personal decision just not to support tourism in Cuba for the moment.”

Hiebert adds she has been hearing reports of resort staff not making it home for the night at the end of the workday, because staff buses are not making the rounds into the small villages to drop off workers. 

“It’s a really, really dire situation,” adds Hiebert, who says tensions in Russia and Venezuela are part of the blame for the fuel shortage. “This is potentially an ongoing problem that just really needs a good solution, and I’m just not sure that there is going to be one in the near future.”

What this means for those with an upcoming trip, or those already down there

For Canadians who have an upcoming trip planned to Cuba, Hiebert says they are being allowed a change of destination. If the new destination costs more than their Cuba trip, they will be forced to pay the difference. But Hiebert says they will be allowed to make the change. Whatever money they put into the trip to Cuba will be credited towards a different trip. Hiebert says this is already happening as we speak. 

According to Hiebert, the Cuba program flies until the end of April. All of those flights are now cancelled. She adds that anyone who had their flight cancelled will be offered either a full refund or the opportunity to make a change to a different destination. 

As for those already down there, ready to fly home, Hiebert asks them to be patient. It is her opinion that they will not be stranded for very long down there, as there will be a push to get them out of Cuba sooner rather than later. 

“Because the problem is only going to get more severe,” she guesses. “I have not heard that people are there necessarily that much longer than they anticipated.”

Hiebert says it could be that Canadians will be down there an extra day or two, until the airlines are able to coordinate additional flights to come pick them up. Hiebert says she has heard that many Canadians are registering with the Canadian consulate, just so that our country is aware of how many Canadians are in Cuba.

“That’s a really smart thing to do,” she adds. “But I know the tour operators, they know who is in Cuba, they know where they are, even if they have moved resorts. There are representatives of the tour operators in Cuba, and so they are working directly with those people there to get back to Canada as soon as possible.”

How this could impact the future of tourism in Cuba

Meanwhile, Hiebert says tourism is a vital lifeline for Cuba, and the outcome of this crisis could be felt for years to come.

“I feel bad,” she adds. “I know people who live in Cuba, I know Cubans, and they are wonderful people. So, I really do hope that this can be resolved swiftly.”

And though Hiebert says she is not entirely sure what could resolve the situation, she believes an end to the war in Ukraine would certainly help.