Ireland has joined countries including the United Kingdom and Canada in advising its citizens to avoid travelling to Cuba unless absolutely necessary. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade recently updated its guidance, placing the Caribbean island under the second-highest level of warning. Travelling to the country is now considered likely to present “a clear and present danger to your health or safety.”
The advisory reflects what officials describe as an increasingly serious economic and humanitarian situation in Cuba. Residents are facing acute shortages of food, fuel, and electricity, with medical services severely restricted. Last month, the United States cut oil shipments from Venezuela, Cuba’s main supplier, after the ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Weeks later, the US threatened tariffs on other countries sending fuel to the island, effectively creating a near-total oil blockade.
The measures have intensified hardships for Cuba’s population of roughly ten million. Blackouts, already common, now last for days, affecting water supply and sanitation systems. Long queues for essential goods have become a daily occurrence. The United Nations has expressed alarm over the crisis, warning that essential services, including hospital care and food distribution, are at risk nationwide. Marta Hurtado, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said power cuts are undermining access to safe water and hygiene, with the most vulnerable disproportionately affected.
Relations between the US and Cuba have long been tense. Since the early 1960s, the United States has imposed economic sanctions on the island following the overthrow of a US-backed government by Fidel Castro. The US currently describes Cuba as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to its national security and accuses Havana of supporting transnational terrorist groups, claims the Cuban government denies. Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos de Cossio, described the fuel embargo as “the equivalent to war” and called it collective punishment.
Efforts to ease sanctions internationally have yet to produce substantial changes. Ireland has consistently voted in favour of UN resolutions calling for an end to the embargo and continues to urge political transition and respect for human rights in Cuba. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade maintains contact with the small number of Irish citizens living on the island through the Irish Embassy in Mexico.
Tourism has also been hit hard. Direct flights from Ireland to Cuba do not exist, and Irish travellers require a separate US visa to travel onward to the United States. Air Canada recently announced it would suspend flights to Cuba due to uncertainty over fuel supplies. The shortage marks a significant blow to Cuba’s economy, which relies heavily on tourism and is already experiencing deep stagnation.
The situation underscores the severe humanitarian challenges now facing Cuba and the growing risks to visitors and residents alike.
