Air Comet will increase its long distance flights to Latin America and assured that Iberia will have new competitors in the up to now “almost monopoly” of the air transport market from Spain to Latin America. It also pointed out that its target for next year is to increase the number of frequencies of the destinations with which it operates on America, until they reach one daily flight.

According to the American Express Business Travel Monitor, whilst the mile for domestic flights in Latin America and the Caribbean is valued at US$ 1.20, in Argentina they are valued at US$ 0.40. However, it is hoped that in 2008 the prices will rise due to the unusual growth of the gross domestic product in the continent, in comparison with the rest of the world. The Argentine fares are also among the most economical of the region, in the case of the “inter regional” and the “international” fares with destination to the United States and Europe.

Before the end of the year, the Maldonado City Council will authorize the construction of a tourist mega project with a US$ 430 million investment in Punta del Este. The project consists of the construction of a five-star hotel with 22 rooms, private casino and convention center, a 165 000m2 real estate complex and a dock that will cater for the mooring of 17 yachts of 50m long and 270 smaller sized crafts.

Iberia will begin to fly from Salvador to Madrid at the end of next month or early in December. It will be the company’s first venture in the Brasilian northwestern region. The flight will be served by an Airbus 330-300, with a seating capacity for 380 passengers in economy class and will be once a week, with a code sharing agreement with Iberoworld airline.

The struggle to win the new international frequencies which the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) is putting up to bidding will once again confront two former opponents, after the National Economic Prosecutor’s Office requested the Free Competition Defense Board to suspend the bidding of the new seven Lima-Santiago frequencies, so that the process bases be modified, since it considers that they do not vouch for free competence. Sky Airline will put up a fierce fight to win at least four of the mentioned frequencies, with the clear aim of fulfilling the longed for wish of landing in Lima.

The new Aerolineas Sudamericanas (AS) received its first aircraft, a Boeing 727-214, with which the company foresees beginning operations within three weeks. Airline executives informed that another two aircraft will also be ready to fly initially the national routes of Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, La Paz, Sucre, Tarija and Puerto Suarez.

PromPeru will participate in important tourism shows such as the International Tourism Fair Luxury Travel Expo in Las Vegas (USA) from December 4th to 6th. Likewise, it will participate in the International Tourism Fair World Travel Market (WTM) 2007 in London (England), which will take place from November 12th to 15th.

As from January, 2008, Tame, who has been flying to Cali during 11 years, will include Manaus in its list of destinations. Aerogal, which has regular flights to Bogota and Medellin, will fly to Miami. Icaro declare it has the permits to fly to Miami, New York, Manaus and Cali. VIP does not rule out future alliances with Avianca to enter into the international market.

Official sources informed that the single visa that will allow the free transit of foreign tourists through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua became valid last Thursday. The objective of this visa is to integrate the migratory procedures and facilitate the free transit of foreign tourists in the region.

El Salvador expects to end 2007 with almost US$ 1,000 million in income from tourism and 1.5 million foreign tourists, which would mean it being the best year in its tourist sector’s history.

IATA denounced that the Mexican airports charge up to 50% more in their fees compared to others in the world, like the one in Munich (Germany) and Paris. It also stated that the infrastructure of some Mexican airports is very often not optimal. The Federal Competition Commission (FCC) of Mexico, the country’s anti-monopoly authority, suggested the Federal Government to regulate the “high” fees of the airports, considering that they are among the most expensive in the world.

IThe Secretariat of Tourism launched the institutional portal www.sectur.gob.do, with the purpose that local and foreign tourists will have access to information related to the sector.

3,800 masl, where land and water get close to the blue sky and its cotton-white clouds and starry nights, you can see landscapes of undulating hills, wide valleys and snowcapped ranges – there is Puno and its Titicaca Lake, South America’s inner sea – its cultures and traditions divided in aymaras and quechuas who live off the lake, use its resources and farm its surroundings. This dynamic land – water with resources usable by modern and ancient man, is located at the shores around the lake and its islands. READ MORE