Canadians Shift Holiday Plans From Cuba as Caribbean Destinations Capture Winter Travel Demand

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Dominican Republic, Mexico and Jamaica are increasingly finding themselves on the radar of Canadian holidaymakers who had traditionally looked to Cuba for an affordable escape from the country’s winter cold. With Canadian airlines no longer operating scheduled services to Cuba and concerns surrounding shortages on the island continuing, travel companies are seeing travellers reconsider where to spend their holiday budgets.

For many Canadians, choosing a winter holiday is usually straightforward: find sunshine, an attractive resort and a package that fits the budget. Cuba has long occupied that space. But the travel equation has changed significantly in 2026, prompting holidaymakers to explore other parts of the Caribbean and nearby destinations.

Flight Centre records stronger demand for Dominican Republic

Recent booking data from Flight Centre Canada provides a clear indication of where some of this demand is moving.

The company reported that bookings for the Dominican Republic within its sun category increased 12.3% year over year. Flight Centre Canada executive Anita Emilio said travellers are looking for alternatives that continue to provide all-inclusive accommodation and greater predictability over the overall cost of a trip.

That combination is particularly important for travellers who previously selected Cuba because of its comparatively accessible holiday packages.

The Dominican Republic offers a broad resort network, including major destinations such as Punta Cana and Puerto Plata, allowing tour operators to redirect customers without completely changing the type of holiday they originally wanted.

Canada’s Cuba travel access remains severely restricted

The shift is closely connected to the deterioration of Cuba’s travel environment.

The Government of Canada currently advises Canadians to avoid non-essential travel to Cuba, citing worsening shortages of fuel, electricity, food, water and medicine. The government warns that these shortages can affect resort services and ground transportation, while fuel availability remains difficult to predict.

The same advisory states that all Canadian airlines have suspended service to Cuba until further notice. International carriers continue to offer some flights, but the Canadian government cautions that these options could become limited with little notice.

For the Canadian leisure market, the airline situation is particularly significant because much of the country’s Cuba demand has historically been built around direct flights and packaged vacations.

Airlines redirect travellers towards alternative destinations

Canadian airlines and vacation companies have been responding by giving affected customers opportunities to change their plans.

Air Canada Vacations says its resumption of Canada-Cuba service has been postponed until November 1, 2026, with customers affected by the suspension being offered destination changes, future travel credits or refunds.

WestJet has also announced an indefinite suspension of flying to Cuba. Customers with affected vacation packages can choose alternatives or cancel for a full refund.

These decisions effectively create an additional pool of Canadian travellers looking for replacement destinations.

Mexico remains a major winter-sun option

Mexico is already benefiting from strong Canadian outbound travel.

Statistics Canada reported that Canadian residents made approximately 1.3 million visits to Mexico during the first quarter of 2026, making it the most visited overseas country by Canadian residents during the period. The Dominican Republic followed with approximately 441,000 visits, while Costa Rica recorded around 193,000.

Cancun and the Riviera Maya remain particularly relevant to the Canadian package-holiday market because they combine extensive resort capacity with established air connections from Canada.

The availability of direct flights is also becoming an increasingly important factor as travellers reassess their winter plans.

Caribbean destinations compete for redirected demand

The redistribution is not limited to the Dominican Republic and Mexico.

Jamaica, Costa Rica, Panama and other Caribbean and Central American destinations are also positioned to attract travellers looking for warm-weather alternatives.

Flight Centre has identified Cancun/Riviera Maya, Punta Cana, Puerto Vallarta, Montego Bay, Panama and Colombia among destinations attracting Canadian interest for warm-weather travel.

Statistics Canada also highlighted Costa Rica’s performance, noting that the country recorded its highest number of Canadian visitors since the beginning of its National Travel Survey data collection in 2018. The agency linked the increase partly to greater availability of direct flights from Canadian airlines.

Cuba’s decline is visible in Canadian visitor numbers

The change in travel behaviour can also be seen in official visitor statistics.

Statistics Canada’s first-quarter data placed Cuba at approximately 127,000 Canadian visits, compared with substantially larger numbers for Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

The contrast highlights how dramatically the Canadian winter-sun market has been reshaped.

Cuba had traditionally been a major source of affordable beach holidays for Canadians, but the combination of transportation disruptions, shortages and uncertainty has altered the practical choices available to travellers.

Higher demand could put pressure on alternative holiday prices

The redirection of travellers also creates a secondary challenge for the destinations receiving them.

If thousands of travellers who would normally have booked Cuba instead compete for rooms and seats in Punta Cana, Cancun or Montego Bay, available inventory can become tighter during peak winter periods.

For travellers, that could make early planning increasingly important, particularly for popular all-inclusive resorts and direct-flight routes.

The shift may therefore affect more than individual holiday decisions. Airlines, tour operators, hotels and destination marketing organisations are all having to adjust capacity and sales strategies around a changing Canadian market.

Cuba disruption creates a new Caribbean travel map

The current situation is turning Cuba’s problems into a wider Caribbean tourism story.

Rather than disappearing from the winter-sun market altogether, many Canadian travellers are redistributing their spending. Some are choosing the Dominican Republic or Mexico for a similar all-inclusive experience, while others are exploring Jamaica, Costa Rica, Panama and destinations farther afield.

For travellers who once saw Cuba as their dependable winter escape, the choice now looks different. The next holiday may mean a different airport, a different resort and a higher price — but for many, the priority remains the same: finding somewhere warm, accessible and reliable when winter arrives.