Where to fly to do tourist shopping from Cuba?

Cuban businessmen or “mules” as they are called on the island, who practice “shopping tourism” abroad, continue to use these methods to live on the island and resell their products, in order to continue to pay for travel and improve their situation. In the midst of a major crisis.

Currently, the mule business continues with many options for them, with direct and charter flights, as well as parcels, such as those in Venezuela, which include taking you directly to the “mall” to make purchases. Below we tell you three options these days, which can be very useful to you.

We start with the most popular these days: Islas Margarita, Venezuela. According to official data, the “Cuban mules” leave approximately $5,000 in their purchases per trip, which they later recoup by selling on the island at exorbitant prices. They will say that the problem of lack of supplies on the island is not their problem.

For example, purchasing packages with Cubatur, even a Venezuelan visa is included for this activity. It’s seven-day packages with airline Estelar and even Conviasa. The cost of the visa is $50. Includes airport pick-up, round-trip ticket, daily transportation to shopping stores, and 2 bags. You can pay an additional $150. The price of these packages is over $900.

Shopping tourism from Cuba

But Margarita Island is not the only one. Nicaragua has always been a very popular destination for “shopping tourism” from Cuba, which also does not require a visa for Cubans. Before becoming the gateway to the southern border of the United States, “Cuban mules” dropped thousands of dollars in Nicaraguan shops and businesses.

In 2019, about 2,000 Cubans arrived in Nicaragua per month to make these purchases and then resell them in their business on the island. In the Eastern Market of Nicaragua, which has about 20,000 stores, the number of Cubans who will buy has doubled. They came in groups and looked for the best prices. The trend has decreased, but there are still direct flights with Conviasa and Aruba.

Finally, there is another destination in the Dominican Republic, which is currently giving aid to family reunion tourism in Punta Cana and for those ‘mules’ packages are sneaking in too. Since 2021, Dominican businessmen and entrepreneurs have been asking their government to facilitate the entry of these Cubans for “shopping tourism”. There are direct flights with Air Century.

“We are not asking to withdraw the visas of Cubans, but through our union, to be able to act as an umbrella for those merchants who come here to shop to take them to Cuba. That a simple business visa be granted and that they come and spend here,” he said. pointed out Abel Vasquer Hevea, President of the Dominican Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises.