Tourists are drinking all of Cuba's beer
As U.S. travelers have increased, Cuba's beer supplies have decreased.
That's right: The first clear sign that Cuba will have difficulty keeping up with the influx of American tourists — certain only to increase as restrictions are loosened — is a beer shortage.
Good job, America.
You May Also Like
Demand is so high that Cuba's existing breweries can't keep up, the Costa Rica Star reported. Brewer Bucanero, Cuba's main brewery and a joint venture of the government and Anheuser-Busch InBev, is unable to keep up with demand and will have to import 3 million cases from Dominica to supplement the 19 million it plans to produce.
"We have to build a new brewery to cover these requirement of the economy,” said Mayle Gonzalez, a marketing specialist with the Cuban state news agency ACN.
Americans, however, don't hold all the responsibility: Tourism to the island increased 17% from 2014 to 2015, to about 3.5 million foreign visitors, according to The Guardian.
Americans accounted for 161,000 of those visitors — a 77% increase year over year. Those numbers are expected to continue to grow at a similar pace through this year, putting pressure on the service sector and those who supply it.
Cuba is the second most visited Caribbean destination.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
