A perfect communion between the promise of an unforgettable holiday and the opportunity to enjoy unrepeatable moments by the hand of culture, history, happy people, Cuban lifestyle, the countryside, the landscapes ... everything that makes this country so unique beyond its heavenly beaches, along the Keys and the mainland.

“To enjoy the authenticity of the destination, which is precisely what makes Cuba different” is the logo of the tourism promotion campaign which authorities have rolled out around the world over the past year.

This is to contact with people, with their lives, to touch the spirit of solidarity and cheerfulness of Cubans, to recognize their multiple and diverse tourist universe, their ways and forms, their products, sites and services.

Cuba, known for its beaches and plenty of sea space, can also mean to be the set of everything that owns and has to offer, regardless of attractions like great sun-and-sand destinations.

It means an indivisible whole, formed by its history, customs, music, environment, education and hospitality, the greatness of its heritage. The geography of the countryside is a kaleidoscope of breathtaking scenery, picturesque towns and regions.

A country that boasts high level of culture and lots of qualified citizens, proud of their ethnic mixture of Spanish, African, Aboriginal, French, German, Hebrew and Chinese; a melting pot of races in which the shades are all possible as a human rainbow of many hues and colors in which the common denominator is vibrant transparency, a sense of responsibility and selflessness.

In addition to be a paradisiacal place, warm and precious since it was unveiled to the world back in 1492 by explorer Christopher Columbus, Cuba is an inner force that mesmerizes or seduces those who pass by. Therefore, it is an authentic destination, as experience has shown: those who come once just come again.

Its history, though not too long, is monumental in terms of facts. Its culture, since it was born as an expression of identity, has refused to exist without pain or glory, and the people, who are Cuban, are the kindest and happiest person on the face of the earth, businesslike and responsive people who have always refused to be trampled on, no matter the price to pay or what the carnage ensues.

For a modern tourist who considers the glory and the privilege of enjoying a golden sunset over a palm tree on the edge of a beautiful beach, near a five-star hotel, Cuba may be the perfect place.

But it can be far better for those who shake off the wraps of the pre-established program and decide to walk through the maze of an island whose greatest treasures are right there, where people can’t imagine they might possibly be. The plot is of unfathomable sweetness and finally foreigners discover that there’s no country like Cuba, mainly because of who the Cubans are.

The island nation is blessed with over 250 museums across the country, some 60 theaters featuring nonstop programming, 80 theater companies, dance and opera, a National Folklore Company with 45 years of experience under its belt, and the National Ballet of Cuba, founded six decades ago. A country whose culture is summarized in the ability to talk and share ideas, traditions, recipes and secrets of the local cuisine, the cheerfulness of the people, the contagious joy and the safety.

Cuban nature is genuine, as well as the experiences afforded by the visitor to a destination that is distinguished by its diversity in terms of proposals and possibilities for the travel industry, the growth of its tourism policy, its landscapes, the sense of hospitality of a country known for its jauntiness, the hundreds of moments of seduction that fill the days, hours, seconds and space and the uncommon strength that continues to move Cuba toward the future.

A Hundred Percent Cuban

Manuel Marrero, Cuban Tourism Minister

“Each day we give a much bigger role to these forms that shows Cuba as it is, a genuine manner, as stated in the motto of our promotional campaign Authentic Cuba. We want people to know us as we are; one hundred percent Cuban. We have some dissatisfactions; one is the fact that we have not yet taken advantage of the entire historical and cultural heritage, all the villages and heritage cities, and have inserted a much higher-rung cultural tourism and massive travel, which today still has a volume that we are not pleased with. Therefore, the priority will be to continue developing city, cultural, historical and heritage tourism, something that will provide a more comprehensive tourism, different, complementary to sun-and-sand holidays. We're not known as a destination for nature, many people do not know our waterfalls, lovely countryside, nature reserves and large mountain ranges and the diverse flora and wildlife of Cuba. We have many goals on the road ahead, but we have the advantage of having the infrastructure and the strengths that have been given to us by history, culture and nature and, above all, a town with exceptional hospitality and cheerfulness that make all who comes to Cuba feel at home” “As a very old memory, an ancient love, I was struck by Cuba. Love so primitive that even more than love, I must call it an addiction. Carnal attachment, temperature, weight, corresponding to the closest resistance, physical response and therefore sacred, a thirst for long suppressed”. Maria Zambrano “Now that the shores of Cuba have faded into the distance, I write to tell you everything that ails me and the feeling of leaving this spellbound island."

Infant Eulalia de Borbon

Authentic, Friendly, Musical, and Cheerful