Does Trump really want to kill tourism in Cuba ?

The United States has just placed Spanish tourism interests in Cuba under unprecedented pressure, threatening to trigger a massive and immediate withdrawal of European investors from the Caribbean island.

Under the impetus of the Trump administration and Senator Marco Rubio, the U.S. Treasury Department has activated sweeping sanctions targeting GAESA, the sprawling financial and commercial conglomerate controlled by the Cuban armed forces.

This network includes the Gaviota chain, the country’s main hotel operator, headed by General Latuff, with which Spanish giants have collaborated for decades.

Now, the dilemma is binary: sever all ties with the Cuban military or face devastating reprisals on American soil, a threat already materialized by Iberia’s announcement that it is suspending its flights to Cuba starting in June.

These restrictions are not limited to the hotel industry but are having a ripple effect across the entire value chain, from wholesalers to logistics providers, creating a paralyzing domino effect.

Experts believe this planned financial strangulation has a far more powerful deterrent effect than any show of military force, surpassing even the symbolic presence of an American aircraft carrier off the Malecón.

In 2026, this diplomatic and economic offensive could mark the end of Spain’s exceptional status in Cuba, forcing Madrid to redefine its Caribbean strategy under the watchful eye of Washington.