Tourism in Cuba, with its beautiful landscapes and nearly pristine nature, cultural wealth and traditions, is a major hard-currency earner and a pillar of the country's economy.

Cuba, which has a strategic location in the Caribbean Sea, has an expanding hotel infrastructure and white-sand beaches of warm crystal-clear water.

Cuba's tourism programs are mainly based on sun and beach options, which become true adventures for those who bet on the Caribbean island to spend their vacations.

The Cuban archipelago also offers more than 70,000 square kilometers of insular platform and some 5,000 kilometers of coasts, which are bathed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea and are excellent sites for scuba diving and snorkeling.

The archipelago's geographic location turns Cuba into a corridor for migratory birds that travel long distances from North America to South America and vice versa.

Natural and biosphere reserves, natural landscapes, national parks and protected areas create a varied offer characterized by its excellent preservation and unique features in the region.

The Caribbean Island offers architectural assets brought from Spain and carrying a strong European influence from the years that followed the colonization period.

Precisely, that element turns the Cuban capital, one of the first seven villages founded by the Spanish conquistadors and initially called San Cristóbal de La Habana, and especially its historic heart, into a key element in many tourist programs.

Havana's historic heart, declared Humankind's Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), holds most of the city's museums, churches, cultural centers and buildings from the Spanish colonial period. Old Havana covers an area of 4.5 square kilometers and has a rich colonial architecture and centuries-old customs and traditions.

Cuba has about 120 art galleries, antique shops and art exhibition halls, in addition to nearly 260 museums and more than 80 theaters, which are excellent options for those looking for more than beach and sun in the Caribbean Island.

The Caribbean island's cultural programs consist of meetings, workshops, festivals, congresses and specialized courses, which are held all year around.

Tours to the country's mountain ecosystems are also highly demanded by foreign tourists who bet on Cuba to spend their vacations.

The potential of ecotourism lies in the Cuba's relief, which consists of four main mountain ranges that cover about 21 percent of the island's territory and hold 37 percent of the country's forests.

In Cuba, vacationers can also combine recreation with medical treatments at several health institutions and specialized hotels near springs of medicinal water.