Cuba, Sunwing offer update as power restored
The Cuba Tourist Board reports that electricity has been restored to 100 % of the hotels in Cuba and at all the tourist areas, it’s business as usual.
Lessner Gomez, Director of the Cuba Tourist Board in Toronto, said: “We have reports, directly from the destination, that the hotels are fully operational across the country, all facilities and services are back to normal, our clients are enjoying their regular tourist activities and it’s business as usual.”
Sunwing Vacations said that further to reports from Cuban officials, together with updates from our in-destination and hotel partners, we are incredibly pleased to share that power has been restored throughout the island of Cuba as of the evening of Oct. 22, 2024.
The operator noted that while all Cuban airports served by Sunwing remained open and operated with either power or via generators during the power outage, and several Sunwing-offered destinations were largely unaffected, including Cayo Santa Maria, Cayo Largo and Cayo Coco, other destinations like Cienfuegos had power restored promptly, whereas power grid access has since been restored to Holguin, Havana and Varadero.
Sunwing, in a statement, said that it is also worth noting that a number of all-inclusive properties in the affected destinations offered by Sunwing were able to operate on backup generators in recent days, however the restoration of the national power grid signifies that the vast majority of the country is back to operating as normal, a welcome relief for the local community and the many tourists who frequent the island at this time of year.
The Cuba Tourist Board pointed out that the majority of the tourist facilities have their own generators and the Ministry of Tourism, local tour operators’ representatives, hotel management and the hotels staff in general made everything possible to minimize the impact.
It noted that all 10 international airports were functioning and carried out the scheduled operations without any problems, all of them had electricity and fuel service available to ensure a smooth air operations which also is being guaranteed for the upcoming winter season 2024 -2025.
The tourist board said that it was also worth mentioning, tropical storm Oscar didn’t affect any hotels nor any tourist infrastructure in Holguin, since it went through Guantanamo province where there are no major resorts.
For its part, Sunwing Vacations offered its ‘thanks’ to the travel advisor community and its customers in destination for their patience and understanding as Cuban officials worked tirelessly in recent days to ensure power was restored, and “we look forward to continue working together with travel advisors to offer more all-inclusive Cuban getaways to our mutual clients this fall and winter season.”
The Cuba Tourist Board’s Gomez said: “Canadians, for decades have visited Cuba, not only for its pristine beaches and warm weather, but also for the warmth and hospitality of the Cuban people, for its safety and the rich local culture, but is the strong friendships with Cubans what keeps them coming back.”
And he added: “So, for this coming winter season I would like to invite Canadians to trust us as we are working very hard to deliver quality service and an elevated holiday experience.”
