Canada's Cuba travel advisory leaves winter sun seekers scrambling for alternatives

The Government of Canada is warning travellers to avoid non-essential travel to Cuba due to severe shortages of fuel, electricity, food, water and medicine.

All Canadian airlines have suspended service to the island until further notice, according to the federal travel advisory, which urges Canadians to consider leaving while options remain available.

"Right now, because the option of Cuba is no longer in the question and most travellers are still wanting to find an alternative destination, the availability and pricing that we're seeing isn't like any other year in the past," said Ashley Harold, a travel expert with Flight Centre Canada.

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Harold said the loss of Cuba is putting a strain on other popular winter destinations, with travellers eyeing Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica for alternatives.

She said a Christmas package that cost just under $1,400 per person last year could now cost around $1,800 per person in those destinations, an increase of about $400 per traveller.

The company revisited 10 popular sun packages for Christmas departures and found that half were sold out or had very limited availability compared with the previous month.

"It's a real challenge of inventory at the moment with the amount of travellers that we have," Harold said.

A recent Flight Centre survey found that 32 per cent of Canadians are booking earlier than usual, rising to 39 per cent among millennials.

Harold said the trick is not to look for an exact replacement for Cuba, but to think about what makes the destination worth returning to year after year.

"Some travellers, that might be cost, that's the biggest point of value for them. Others might be snorkelling, for example, or the beach, or a short flight … as opposed to trying to find exactly the experience and the price point that they get with Cuba, because quite simply that just doesn't exist," said Harold.

If snorkelling and marine life are a priority, Harold suggested looking at Cozumel, Mexico.

For travellers dreaming of white sand and calm water, she pointed to Playa Mujeres in Mexico as another option with a substantial amount of resort inventory.

The Caribbean and Mexico remain the main alternatives being considered by travellers, Harold said, while cruises and guided tours are also gaining interest.

If dates are fixed and budgets are tight, a little flexibility could make a meaningful difference, she said.

Harold recommended considering whether you could leave a day earlier, return a day later or depart from another airport.

Travellers who can reach a larger airport, such as Toronto or Vancouver, may also have more routes and packages to choose from than those flying from smaller regional airports.

If you are planning a March break getaway, Harold explained it is worth starting your search now, particularly if you need several rooms for a multi-generational family trip.

"With a time like this and the inventory being so limited, if they're looking to travel over March break, we're even saying now's the time to start to look at that," she said.

For anyone hoping to travel over Christmas or New Year's without much flexibility, Harold's advice is to decide what matters most and where you are willing to compromise.

She also recommended setting a firm spending limit before browsing, rather than getting swept up in a package that costs more than you planned.

"The question isn't just simply where to go instead," Harold said. "It's what losing one of the market's most affordable options means for price, choice and how flexible you may need to be."

With files from Yahoo News