The great Cuban experiment in tourism has hit a wall. Visitor numbers are down 40% year on year, and the island’s vaunted hospitality sector is gasping for air. The culprit is not a hurricane or a pandemic but a familiar foe: American sanctions, now tighter than ever under the Trump administration’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign. But as the US retreats into isolationism, a window opens for the United Kingdom to step in. This is not just about filling hotel rooms. It’s about digital sovereignty, economic resilience, and the future of travel in a multipolar world.
Cuba’s tourism model was always a fragile thing. Dependence on American visitors, even indirectly via third countries, left it exposed. When Washington tightened the noose in 2023, banning flights from third-party carriers and restricting remittances, the effect was immediate. Hotels in Havana reported occupancy rates below 30%. Varadero’s pristine beaches lie empty. The Cuban government, already starved of hard currency, now faces a crisis of legitimacy. But here is where things get interesting.
In a world where travel is increasingly mediated by algorithms and digital platforms, Cuba’s digital infrastructure is a mess. Slow internet, patchy payment systems, and a reliance on cash make it a tough sell for the modern tourist. Yet this is precisely the opportunity for UK innovators. British companies specialising in peer-to-peer travel platforms, blockchain-based identity systems, and crypto payments could leapfrog the traditional Visa-and-airline model. Imagine a traveller landing in Havana, their digital wallet loaded with a new Cuban peso stablecoin, their passport verified on a distributed ledger, their hotel reservation secured via a smart contract. This is not techno-utopianism. This is the next frontier of tourism.
The UK already has a foothold. The Cuba-Mustique Trust, a legacy of colonial ties, still manages cultural exchanges. But we need a more aggressive push. The Foreign Office should negotiate a bilateral digital trade agreement with Havana, exempting UK citizens from the US sanctions regime and establishing a secure, sovereign payment channel. The National Cyber Security Centre can help Cuba build a real-time transaction system that is both European-compatible and resistant to American pressure. The prize is not just beaches. It is access to the Cuban biotech sector, a rare gem in the Caribbean, and a chance to weaken the US embargo by making it irrelevant.
Of course, the ethical concerns are many. Cuba’s authoritarian government is not a model of human rights. But trade is not a reward. It is a lever. By offering alternatives to Russian and Chinese influence, the UK can push for reforms without preaching. The US sanctions have only solidified the regime’s narrative of victimhood. A British approach, based on connectivity and mutual benefit, could hollow out that narrative.
Critics will say this is naive. They will point to the difficulty of dealing with a one-party state. But the US embargo has failed for 60 years. It has not made Cuba freer. It has made it poorer and more dependent on adversaries. The UK, with its expertise in fintech and its history of creative diplomacy, can do better. The collapse of Cuban tourism is a tragedy for the Cuban people. But it is also a test of British ingenuity. Let us not fail it.
