Irish holidaymakers warned against going to Cuba

Irish holidaymakers heading to Cuba have been told to contact their travel agents “immediately” after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) changed their travel advice for the country.

The second highest level of warning has been issued for the country with Irish travellers being told to “Avoid Non-Essential Travel”.

The DFA issues this guidance for countries or territories which “have serious and potentially life-threatening risks”.

It said: “Our ability to provide consular assistance to Irish citizens in this location is extremely limited.”

Cuba is in the midst of an energy crisis which has affected transportation, hospitals, schools, tourism and the production of food.

There has been energy rationing, severe blackouts and the Cuban government announced aviation fuel would not be available at Cuban airports.

The island nation relied heavily on oil shipments from Venezuela that were halted when the US attacked the South American country in early January and arrested its leader.

At the end of January, US president Donald Trump threatened tariffs on any country selling or providing oil to the country.

The DFA has warned of blackouts lasting over 24 hours and long queues at petrol stations.

They say the fuel supply issues are affecting water supply, lighting, refrigeration and communications, with hospitals and clinics also affected.

In a statement Clare Dunne, chief executive of the Irish Travel Agents Association, said she would “strongly recommend” anyone thinking of travelling to Cuba check the DFA’s advice and check with their travel agent before making any bookings.

Ms Dunne added: “When the DFA advise to Avoid Essential Travel to a particular country, Cuba in this instance, it usually means that the travel insurance policy will not cover travel to that country.

“The number of Irish citizens who travel from Ireland to Cuba has declined over the past few years and is now very low.

“This is mainly down to two reasons – connectivity to Cuba from Ireland is very limited, and secondly, travellers who travel to Cuba are not then eligible to apply for an ESTA to visit the USA and must instead apply to the US Embassy for an entry visa.”

The organisation said there are thought to be few, if any, Irish tourists currently in Cuba.