The “turbulence zone” into which world tourism collapsed two years ago due to the coronavirus will not end at the same rapid pace as the pandemic began. Despite the fact that restrictions on coronavirus are being lifted one by one around the world, international tourism has more and more new problems that negatively affect people's decision to travel. The political crisis associated with the events in Ukraine scares tourists away from tours in Europe, especially in Eastern Europe; global sanctions against Russia have brought down the incomes of citizens around the world, which also threatens a serious drop in tourist flow, and in all countries. Not far off is the confrontation between China and the United States over Taiwan – then it is obvious that tourism in Southeast Asia will completely collapse. Against this background, any state of emergency, especially resonant ones, adds to the nervousness of tourists: namely, these are exactly what happened the other day in the Caribbean – this is an epic explosion in a hotel in Cuba, as well as another shooting on a beach in Mexico…
The explosion in Cuba particularly shocked the imagination of many: it took place in the famous Saratoga Hotel in the very center of Havana, the capital of Cuba. At least 22 people have died and 74 others have been hospitalized for treatment. Almost the entire facade of the hotel, built by the way back in 1880, in the very center of the Cuban capital, was destroyed, windows were broken in the houses nearby.
According to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, the explosion at the Saratoga Hotel was not due to a bomb. The probable cause is a gas leak, which is also not a very good signal for tourism. Let's explain – the hotel, which was last renovated in 2005, was closed for covid times – and before the state of emergency it never opened for tourists. There were only workers in the building who were preparing the hotel for the opening. “The 96-room hotel was due to open in a few days, the workers were making final preparations,” said Roberto Enrique Calzadilla, a spokesman for the military company that runs most of the country's hotels. He stated that on Friday, when the accident occurred, the building was again supplied with natural gas, and the explosion, presumably, occurred while pumping liquefied gas from the tank. That is, perhaps this disaster is an example of the fact that such a large-scale enterprise as a hotel cannot be so easily “turned off for covid” and then restarted.
Not everything is calm on the Caribbean beaches and with crime. The criminal world in “troubled times” has its own exacerbations – and tourists easily “fall under the distribution.” This time, in the famous Mexican resort of Cancun, visitors to local bars were fired at – one person died, at least six more were injured. So far, one of the suspects has been arrested. According to the prosecutor's office of the state of Quintana Roo, tourists turned out to be “extreme” in criminal showdowns: extortionists operating in the city tried to intimidate the owners of entertainment establishments.
By the way, both directions – Mexican Cancun and Cuban Havana – are very popular with Russian tourists . Now, however, there are no direct flights there due to the lack of long-haul aircraft that would not fall under the sanctions of the West, but with their appearance, Russians will return to these resorts…
For those who care about a healthy lifestyle life, we recommend reading: “The dietitian revealed a complete list of calcium-rich foods and how to use them correctly.”