Tourism is Cuba's number-one source of hard currency, and the government is actively involved in promoting tourism internationally. As a result, there's a fairly decent network of tourism boards and agencies in major cities around the world. Some offices are run by the Ministry of Tourism, others by one of the major state-run agencies like Cubanacán, Havanatur, or Cubatur. No matter the bureau, the focus is almost entirely on organized tours, but they can also give you some basic information. Agencies to contact include Cuba Tourist Board Canada, 1200 Bay St., Suite 305, Toronto M5R 2A5 (tel. 416/362-0700; www.gocuba.ca), or 2075, rue University, Bureau 460, Montreal H3A 2L1 (tel. 514/875-8004); Cuba Tourist Board Great Britain, 154 Shaftesbury Ave., 1st Floor, London WC2H 8HL (tel. 0207/240-6655; tourism@cubasi.info); and, in the United States, the Cuban Interests Section (tel. 202/797-8518; cubaseccion@prodigy.net).
A host of other information is available online. The Latin America Network Information Center (http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/cb/cuba) is hands-down the best one-stop shop for helpful links to a wide range of travel and general information sites.
The Cuban government sponsors a number of websites, including Cuba Travel (www.cubatravel.cu), CubaSi (www.cubasi.cu), and Directorio Turístico de Cuba (www.dtcuba.com). All offer a fair quantity of travel-related information and links. State-run tourism agency websites -- including Cubanacán (www.cubanacan.cu) and Cubatur (www.cubatur.cu) -- are also good places to check for hotels, transportation, and package deals.
