US Blacklists Cuba's Tourism Ministry, Triggering Hotel Industry Collapse

The US Treasury designated Cuba's Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) and nine other state entities as Specially Designated Nationals — the first time a full Cuban government ministry was blacklisted. Within two weeks, Spain's three largest hotel operators (Meliá, Iberostar, Barceló) all withdrew from the island, ending decades of foreign hotel management and deepening the collapse of Cuba's tourism sector, already down to 1.81 million visitors in 2025 — its lowest since 2002.