The growth rate of Cuba's leisure industry, one of the highest in the Caribbean, turns the largest Antillean island into a favorite destination for thousands of visitors who bet on country's diverse offer every year.

Cuba's tourist offers for the New Millennium, aimed at meeting the needs of the most demanding vacationers, are accompanied by intensive campaigns to promote the Island's best and most select attractions, ranging from unique beaches to unparalleled traditions, culture and history.

In that regard, Cuba boasts a wide gamut of peculiarities - beginning with her rich flora and fauna -, whose origin lies in the country's very nature and traditions inherited from Spanish colonial times.

As part of that policy, every year, Cuban authorities organize an event exclusively dedicated to tourism, a perfect meeting for exchange among professionals and companies involved in that difficult and demanding activity.

May is the traditional month to hold those conventions on tourism, whose 22nd edition this year returned to its original venue in the world famous coastal resort of Varadero, one of the favorite destinations for those who bet on Cuba to spend their vacations.

Under the slogan "Get to Know Cuba in the New Millennium", the fair will take a different approach this year, focusing on presenting the Cuba as a tourist destination to tour operators and travel agents all year around.

This format, which has been warmly welcomed by experts, results from a new commercial policy and a strategy implemented by the Ministry of Tourism, which is interested in prioritizing sales as a mechanism to make communication more effective.

That strategy proved to be effective early this year, after important familiarization groups from Mexico, Brazil and Russia visited the Island. Other such groups from Libya, Canada, Germany and France, all of them motivated by their common interest in learning about Cuba's offers, are expected to visit the country during the rest of the year.

Varadero, famous all over the world for its white sands and crystal-clear blue waters, has added new attractions to its "sun and plus beach" offer by including the breathtaking natural scenario of the Zapata Swamp, the largest and best-preserved swamp in the Caribbean.

More than a mere venue to sign contracts, the convention has become an excellent opportunity for learning, since its agenda will include lectures on quality, sustainability, world trends, travel agencies and incentives, given by experts from the World Tourism Organization and the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

Moreover, Cuban tourist authorities will present the "lengthy stay" product, which is aimed at a punctual segment of the market and requires an appropriate infrastructure to meet the needs of clients who enjoy a prolonged stay in the country.

With that new approach, Cuba's tourist sector is preparing for today's challenges, and is always ready to welcome visitors with a smile and offer them its best options for leisure.