Spanish hotel chain Meliá is leaving Cuba because of legal and financial hurdles from US sanctions

HAVANA (AP) — The Spanish hotel chain Meliá said Tuesday it will completely shutter its operations in Cuba, dealing a blow to the tourism industry on the Caribbean island grappling with strict sanctions and an energy blockade imposed by the United States.

A statement from the company said the decision, which will go into effect on Friday, was due to “the significant operational, legal, economic and financial difficulties that have persistently affected, and continue to affect, the environment" in Cuba.

Cuba's tourism industry was formerly an engine of the country's economy. Meliá's decision follows new sanctions announced by the U.S. on July 13 blacklisting Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism, the business partner of more than a dozen hotels that the hotel chain still operated on the island.

The chain had previously suspended management of 15 hotels it operated through an agreement with a tourism agency run by GAESA, a Cuban military-business conglomerate that was sanctioned by the U.S. in May. The company has now completely withdrawn its business from Cuba.

Meliá once owned 34 five-star hotels in Cuba, primarily in Havana, the country's capital, and idyllic locations such as the Varadero resort and the main keys. It was also a highly symbolic chain for the island, following the opening of tourism in the Caribbean nation after the collapse of the Soviet Union more than 35 years ago.

U.S. measures against companies operating in Cuba include freezing their assets and seizing their accounts in the U.S. — meaning they can no longer operate in the U.S. financial market — and also travel bans for their shareholders, investors and employees.

The U.S. ramped up pressure on the island following the capture of Venezuela's then-President Nicolás Maduro in January, seeking the fall of the Cuban government and changes to its political and economic model. It also implemented an energy embargo that has exacerbated a pre-existing crisis.

The result has been daily blackouts lasting more than 20 hours, medicine shortages pushing the healthcare system to the brink, a collapsed water supply and paralyzed transportation.

Meliá’s departure demonstrates the resounding impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies, which are “methodically and systematically closing every source of foreign currency for the Cuban government,” Paolo Spadoni, an associate professor in the Department of Social Sciences at Augusta University in Georgia, told The Associated Press.

Tourism has plummeted with the withdrawal of major chains — such as the Spanish Iberostar and the Canadian Royalton — as well as the cancellation of flights to Cuba by airlines like World2Fly, Air France and Iberia.

In this year's first trimester, tourism arrivals in Cuba are down 48% compared to the same period in 2015, totaling just 298,000.

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An antique car drives past the Melia Habana Hotel in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

An antique car passes the Melia Habana Hotel in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

SYDNEY (AP) — Italy prop Marco Riccioni has been suspended for two weeks after being found guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct in his team's 57-10 loss to Australia in last Saturday's Nations Championship rugby test.

Riccioni received a red card in the 66th minute of the match at Perth, Western Australia. He had already been replaced when he got involved in a wrestle between players spilled from the field into the technical area and knocked some Italy support staff off their chairs.

The tournament's Foul Play Review committee on Wednesday announced the suspension, the third involving Italy in two weeks.

The committee said the foul play could have merited a four-week suspension but it was reduced to two because of Riccioni's admission of guilt and his previous disciplinary record.

Riccioni, who will miss two matches in August for Perpignan in France's Top 14 league, is the third Italian player or coach to be suspended on the Nations Championship tour.

Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada had his two-match suspension reduced to one last week after facing a misconduct hearing in regard to referee criticism following Italy’s 47-17 loss to New Zealand on July 11.

And Italy lock Niccolo Cannone was suspended for four weeks after being sent off for head-butting in the loss to the All Blacks at Wellington.

Italy lost its first three games in the Nations Championship, with the defeats in Australia and New Zealand following a 27-10 loss to Japan in Tokyo on July 4.

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

Italy's Niccolo Cannone runs at the defence during the Nations Championship rugby international between the All Blacks and Italy in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (Masanori Udagawa/Photosport via AP)

Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada watches his players warm up ahead of the Nations Championship rugby international between the All Blacks and Italy in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (Marty Melville/Photosport via AP)

Italy's Marco Riccioni runs at New Zealand's Wallace Sititi during the Nations Championship rugby international between the All Blacks and Italy in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (Masanori Udagawa/Photosport via AP)