Cuba’s Power Crisis Forces Intrepid to Pull Tours Until April 30

Intrepid Travel has suspended its Cuba tours through April 30 after the island’s worsening energy crisis made travel operations harder to manage.

The company updated its travel alert after Cuba’s nationwide grid collapse on March 16. Affected customers can choose a refund, travel credit, or another destination.

Cuba’s energy crisis is now directly affecting tourism

Cuba’s latest problems began with a nationwide blackout that left millions without electricity. Although power was later restored in many areas, the country’s energy system remains under heavy strain.

The deeper issue is a mix of weak fuel supply, aging infrastructure, and unstable electricity generation.

The fuel shortage had already started to hit air travel

Before Intrepid suspended its tours, Cuba had already warned airlines that jet fuel supplies were running dangerously low. Some carriers responded by reducing or suspending service, which added another layer of uncertainty for the travel sector.

Cuba’s tourism sector was already under pressure

The latest disruption comes at a weak moment for Cuba’s visitor economy. The country received fewer international visitors in 2025 than in 2024, showing that tourism demand was already soft before the latest blackout and fuel crisis.

Tourism is one of Cuba’s main sources of foreign currency, and when tours are canceled, the impact reaches hotels, guides, drivers, restaurants, and other local businesses that depend on visitor spending.

That pressure had already been visible earlier in the year, when Air Canada suspended its Cuba service because of jet fuel shortages on the island, showing that the country’s energy problems were already spilling into international travel operations.

Photo by Spencer Everett on Unsplash