Spanish hotel chain Meliá has completed its withdrawal from the Cuban market amid tighter US sanctions and the country’s deepening economic difficulties, reported Reuters.
The group has ended operations at all 34 of its hotels in Cuba.
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According to the report, the group cited operational, legal and financial problems drove the decision to leave the island, where it had maintained a significant presence since 1990.
The hotels had been managed through its Portuguese subsidiary, Ilha Bela Gestao E Turismo.
The full exit came after Meliá said last month it would stop operating 15 of its 34 Cuban hotels.
The move followed similar decisions by privately owned Iberostar and Barceló, bringing to a close decade of activity in Cuba’s tourism sector by the three leading Spanish hotel groups.
Tourism has weakened this year as the country confronts a broader economic crisis and an oil blockade imposed by the US at the start of this year, the agency noted.
Pressure from Washington intensified earlier this month when the US sanctioned Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism.
Last year, Meliá Hotels International signed its first Meliá Collection hotel in Peru.
The Lima project is due to open in two phases, with 61 rooms scheduled for this month and the remaining rooms expected in July 2027, taking the total to 107.
Work on restoring the property is being led by restorer Cirilo Bernui Tafur.
The project has support from the Commission for the Promotion of Peru for Export and Tourism, Promperú.
