Canadians consolidated into hotels in Cuba amid fuel shortage

Canadian Vicky Volovik, currently on vacation in Caya Coco, Cuba, says the ongoing energy shortage has led to tourists being ‘amalgamated’ into one area.

Tourists are now being consolidated into hotels in Cuba as the island struggles through a fuel shortage.

Vicky Volonik and Mark Harrington, two Canadians who arrived in Cuba on Wednesday, told CTV News Channel on Friday that they were being transferred to another hotel.

“They don’t have enough fuel,” Volonik said. “They’re trying to conserve energy by grouping everybody in the same hotel,” adding that “pretty much the whole hotel is relocating.”

She says she hasn’t seen any shortages, saying that there was “plenty of food to eat, no blackouts, everything’s good.”

‘Lots of tears’

Volonik said she saw “lots of tears, lots of crying,” from locals.

“People are very upset because all the workers here just pretty much lost their job and their livelihood,” adding she’s “more concerned about the people here. We’ll be looked after, we’ll be fine until Wednesday.

“But the people here, they’re suffering right now,” she added. ”You got a lot of tears in the hotel.”

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Cuba was placed under a U.S. trade embargo following its 1959 revolution and alliance with the Soviet Union. The island relied on Soviet and later Venezuelan oil supplies but the U.S. operation to remove Nicolas Maduro from power and U.S. efforts to isolate the island, have left Cuba without a major fuel supplier.

Volonik and Harrington are staying on Cayo Coco, an island off Cuba’s northern coast. The island is reserved for tourists and Cubans bus in to work.

“A lot of (the staff’s) income is relied on by our tips and tourist dollars, so that’s going to be gone once the hotel has closed up,” Volonik said.

‘High degree of caution’

The Canadian government has placed a travel advisory on Cuba, warning travellers to “exercise a high degree of caution.”

The advisory reports “worsening shortages of electricity, fuel and basic necessities including food, water, and medicine, which can also affect resorts.” It also says the situation is “unpredictable,” and that flight availability might be affected on “short notice.”

“I’m a long time Cuba traveller,” Volonik said. “Even in the ’90s, when things were in crisis then and the people take care of you.”

“I’m not worried myself, and I think by moving us its just being proactive to be sure the tourists are taken care of.”

READ MORE: Cuban tourism in crisis; visitors repelled by fuel, power shortages