Havana, the main tourist destination in the largest Antillean Island, bets on culture during the last few months of the year, with unique options that combine the seventh art and several musical genres.

December, a month of traditions, festivities and memories on the Caribbean island, is also the month during which the International Festival of Latin American New Cinema, which has become one of the most attractive options in the continent's movie industry, has been held over the past 20 years.

Dozens of theaters in the capital and throughout the country show the latest Latin American movies, in addition to films from Europe and other parts of the world, as an alternative to develop the seventh art in the region.

Prestigious personalities from that artistic manifestation also attend lectures, seminars and exchanges, whose highest point is a ceremony at which awards are granted in several categories.

Usually, the Festival includes contests of cinema, video, scripts and posters, and an international jury chooses the award winners in each category.

Ten days of intense activity are reflected in sections devoted to recent productions, new directors, Cuba's cinema, retrospectives of famous moviemakers, special exhibits and seminars.

However, the true winners in this panorama are thousands of visitors who come to Cuba every year to enjoy a unique film offer, and mingle with the Cuban people at the theaters.

With a biennial frequency, Havana also hosts the International Jazz Festival in December. The event is exclusively dedicated to that musical genre, which is represented in Cuba by Maestro Chucho Valdés, one of its most relevant exponents at international level.

Each edition of the jazz festival has its own characteristics and is attended by a constellation of international stars, who come to Cuba to boost exchange or just improvise in unique jam sessions.

The centuries-old city has in "La Zorra y el Cuervo" its most authentic Jazz Club, where jazz lovers can enjoy first-class performances by renowned soloists and groups.

Dozens of institutions, movie theaters, galleries, museums and libraries join this crusade in favor of culture, giving both Cubans and foreign visitors the chance to enjoy the most valuable exponents of the Caribbean island's culture.

With this complement, the leisure industry in Havana proves that tourism is more than a simple option of sun and beaches, especially when vacations are spent in a country with a vast cultural wealth that covers all artistic manifestations, from the oldest to the newest.