The Cuban government continues to channel its limited resources into the tourism sector, exemplified by its decision to repair a dilapidated road leading to the Marea del Portillo tourist area in eastern Cuba. Despite the dire state of the island's road infrastructure, marked by impassable roads riddled with potholes, the regime allocates its scarce foreign currency to road repairs primarily serving tourist buses and rental cars.
With public transportation at a historic low, the administration led by Miguel Díaz-Canel focuses on refurbishing miles of roads that connect to hotels managed by the opaque military conglomerate, Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA). Cubans face daily challenges such as a lack of national buses, train derailments, and public transport halts due to fuel shortages. These issues are compounded by the government's preference for investing in sectors under regime control over urgently needed infrastructure improvements for public welfare.
Tourism Over Public Needs
The state-run media outlet, La Demajagua, recently reported that multiple brigades from the Empresa de Construcción y Montaje (COINGEX) in Granma are working to restore 10 kilometers of the Granma highway. This road provides access to the Marea del Portillo tourist site, southern coastal settlements, and the neighboring province of Santiago de Cuba. The initial 200 meters of the road have been paved, with ongoing earthmoving activities.
Nestled in a unique landscape that combines the majestic Sierra Maestra mountains with the Caribbean Sea, the Marea del Portillo tourist area includes the Marea del Portillo Hotel, Farallón del Caribe, and Villa Punta de Piedra, offering a total of 285 rooms. In December 2023, the Granma tourist hub resumed operations after a three-year hiatus. Nancy Estrada Milanés, a delegate from the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) in Granma, informed the official press that during the closure, a provincial real estate investment plan was implemented to renovate and enhance the tourist facilities. These efforts have allowed the complex to reopen with greater comfort and elegance.
Neglected Roads and Tragic Consequences
The recent road repairs are part of the regime's extensive investment plan in the Granma tourist area. However, the neglect of other vital roads has led to severe consequences. In mid-April, poor road conditions contributed to a truck accident at Loma del Yarey, between Granma and Santiago de Cuba provinces. Yobanis Peña Soto, the truck driver, was trapped inside the vehicle for hours before being rescued by firefighters.
Further highlighting the issue, a truck fell off the Río Yara bridge on the Masó-Las Mercedes road in Bartolomé Masó municipality, Granma, in February, resulting in seven injuries, three of which were serious. In July 2022, Cuban social media users criticized the deplorable state of a road in Campechuela, Granma. User Atiany Remón shared images of a hazardous road, describing the 17 kilometers traversed daily by thousands in Campechuela, revealing a massive pothole with a tree trunk as a danger marker, and vehicles stuck in mud, unable to progress.