The Cuban archipelago, located in a strategic position in the Caribbean, faces a favorable scenario for tourism that combines such elements as nature, history and even politics.

In the first semester of 2017, 2,668,400 international holidaymakers visited Cuba, accounting for an increase of 23 percent compared to the same period last year.

The behavior of the tourism industry is paving the way to exceed the results reported in 2016, when Cuba was visited by 4.2 million foreign vacationers, including cruise passengers.

In fact, tourists' visits are guaranteed by the connections provided by nearly 40 airlines with 50 cities in the world, due to Cuba's large airport network.

Meanwhile, domestic movements are handled by the airlines Cubana de Aviación, Aerocaribbean and Aerogaviota, and seven marinas provide services to tourists, including the Hemingway Marina, in Havana; Dársena de Varadero, Gaviota Varadero, Gaviota Holguín and Marlin Santiago.

Other marinas are Marlin Cienfuegos and Marlin Cayo Largo del Sur. There are also three cruise terminals in Havana, Santiago de Cuba and Cienfuegos.

Cuba currently has 66,547 hotel rooms and authorities plan to build 4,000 this year, while foreign investments in the tourism sector mainly goes to Havana, Varadero, Trinidad, Holguín and the north keys, where the highest demand is reported.

In addition, two dozen international chains run 41,000 rooms, most of which are in four- and five-star hotels, as a result of 82 administration and commercialization contracts.

On the other hand, hotel complexes linked to golf and nautical tourism have been approved, including the Punta Colorada Golf and Marina, which involves the companies Cubagolf, S.A. and Playa Golf and Resorts International Panama S.A. and which will be built in the municipality of Sandino, in Cuba's westernmost province, Pinar del Rio.

Furthermore, other similar projects involve the group Globalia, the Chinese company Beijing Enterprises Holdings Limited and the British firm Esencia Hotels and Resorts.

Cuba's tourism industry is also expanding its horizons with new options like ecotourism and options related to the improvement of the quality of life.

In that regard, several medical facilities, hotels specialized in specific treatments and spas of medicinal water, including San Diego de los Baños, in Pinar del Rio province, are available throughout the country.

Other centers specialize in diving and nautical activities, providing initiation courses and diving tours in coral reefs and flooded caverns under strict international standards for that activity.

Diving also benefits from the water's warm temperature, which is over 24 degrees Celsius, and a horizontal visibility that may exceed 30 meters.