Tourism in the Cuban archipelago, based on the island nation's nature, history and traditions, is complemented by the country's cultural wealth and a broad network of cultural institutions.

Dozens of kilometers of excellent beaches, first-class hotels and recreational facilities are accompanied by cultural programs throughout the country.

Precisely, that component is a major element in the country's tourist development.

Cultural festivals and artistic fairs, including music, cinema and literature, are among the main offers for vacationers.

Movie theaters in both Havana and other provinces screen films from the Americas every year, during the Latin American New Film Festival, which has become one of the most attractive cinematographic events in the region.

Other events are the annual International Book Fair, as well as and dance, theater and ballet performances, in addition to local festivities such as carnivals, each having unique characteristics.

Cuba's centuries-old historic heritage is also present in a nationwide network of museums that keep the legacy from previous generations.

The island nation has more than 300 museums, including 14 specialized on art, seven on sciences and technology, five on ethnology and anthropology and 68 on history.

It also has nine specialized museums, four on archeology and the others are general museums. Their common goal is to transmit history and traditions from past centuries to the youngest generations.

One of the colossuses in Cuba's cultural infrastructure is the National Museum of Fine Arts, created in 1913 and whose current venue was built in 1954 as the Palace of Fine Arts.

The museum's patrimony consists of 47,600 artworks, including 45,000 that were designated national heritage and more than 2,000 that are kept in deposit.

The Caribbean island also has the so-called wonders of Cuban civil engineering, chosen from 37 candidates, the oldest of which dates from the 19th century.

That is the case of Francisco Albear's aqueduct, which was inaugurated in 1893 and it is still operational today in the Cuban capital.

Old cars, silent witnesses to events from the past, are complemented by traditional Cuban products such as rum and Havana cigars, which attract thousands of foreign tourists who visit the Caribbean Island every year.