Cuba's tourism industry, one of the fastest-growing sectors in the island-nation's economy, has bet on diversity to attract both foreign and domestic vacationers.

Traditional sun and beach options are complemented by a wide range of recreational activities, aimed at meeting the demand from tourists.

Cuba combines recreation and medical treatments to improve the quality of life, including such procedures as thalassotherapy.

That medical modality benefits from the island's marine environment – air, water and climate – and other natural resources such as mud, sand and algae.

Cuba also has one-of-a-kind sites where tourists can enjoy their thermal waters to improve their quality of life.

In addition to international clinics, pharmacies, optician's shops and specialized centers in major tourist resorts, which play a major role in improving the people's quality of life, Cuba also offers a broad medical infrastructure to foreign visitors.

As a value added to the beaches, cities are also major elements in Cuba's tourism industry, especially the capital.

Havana's historic heart holds most of the city's museums, churches, cultural centers and buildings from the Spanish colonial period, including 33,000 buildings, most of which were built from the 18th to the 19th centuries.

In central Cuba, Cienfuegos offers a score of libraries, 11 museums, more than 30 movie halls and five theaters, in addition to houses of culture, art galleries and monuments, are visited by both national and foreign tourists every year.

In the west, vacationers can visit the city of Matanzas, the capital of the western province of the same name and also known as the Athens of Cuba or the Venice of the Americas, due to the many rivers running through it, where both commerce and culture flourished during the Spanish colonial period.

However, beaches, diving, nautical activities and excursions need the complement of gastronomy in its most varied expressions.

Cuban cuisine has inherited elements of several cultures, since typical dishes from Asia, Italy and Mexico are served in the island nation. As a complement, Havana cigars and Cuban rum are reserved for special occasions.