Tourism is as much a political terrain as a cultural practice. It has been promoted as a route to economic development for poor nations and wielded as an instrument of political leverage between nations--as the U.S. embargo against travel to Cuba or the recent easing of tourist-visa requirements between Russia and Brazil demonstrate.

It’s the latest attempt at cultural diplomacy for two long-estranged neighbors with similar tastes in arts and entertainment. For two consecutive nights, Cubans packed Havana’s Karl Marx Theater to watch more than 50 American dancers leap, twirl and float across the stage.

For the first time in history, the EU Film Festival will be held at the Centre for Performing Arts Theatre Complex Hall in Jaffna from December 1 to 5 at 1 pm and 3 pm, bringing new hope for peace and harmony through cultural ties.

The capital is primed for a slot on the global cultural tourism map as it opens its doors to unique performances, fusion projects and artists from 18 countries in a mega showcase of arts and culture for 10 days beginning on Dec 3.

Cooking classes are increasingly popular among travelers to Morocco, offering a chance to work with local cooks on delicacies from one of the world's great cuisines, creating delicately spiced tajines, hearty couscous or perfumed date and honey pastries.

The British Museum will help set up the UAE's national museum through the loan of art and assistance with exhibits on falcons and the oil and pearl industries.The Zayed National Museum will receive advice on the training of its Emirati staff and the establishment of its programming from the world famous UK institution.

The first Experimental Media Art Festival in Taiwan (EXIT) will open in Taipei on Thursday featuring a wide range of avant-garde films from Asia and Canada that are rarely exhibited in museum galleries or screened in local film festivals.

But some had grander hopes for the Expo – namely, that it would ‘showcase China’s soft power’... As it happened, the events that swirled around the Expo’s closing weeks showcased something quite else: Why China doesn’t have much soft power and why the West, broadly defined, still has it in spades.