Lan Argentina announced the incorporation of an Airbus 320 on which it has replaced its name for that of Oneworld on the fuselage.  The new aircraft has the same image as the ten international airlines which form the alliance.

Avenida de Mayo has cultural programs

On Saturdays and Sundays until May 18th, cultural events will be offered for both tourists and Buenos Aires residents on Avenida de Mayo.  The schedule combines events on the main public roads with activities in Notable Bars and other representative buildings of the area.

International Congress of Adventure Tourism in Mendoza

From September 14th to the 20th, the province of Mendoza will be the world capital of adventure tourism, thanks to the International Congress of Adventure Tourism, an essential meeting for suppliers, exhibitors, and professionals in the sector.  The first part will be held in the City of Mendoza on September 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th, and the second in the City of San Rafael on the 18th, 19th and 20th.

The airline is preparing to expand in the regional market by flying from Montevideo.  “In a radius of 3,000 km, departing from Montevideo, there are many cities that are not properly serviced, which are difficult to access.  We want to insure an effective connection in the region,” stated the general manager of the company.

Fën Hotels inaugurated its first Esplendor establishment in Asuncion.  A US$ 3 million investment was made to update this 5-star hotel and make it operational.  Fen Hotels contributes its experience in hotel management and with this, the Esplendor brand will become the first Argentine chain to expand abroad.

The 17th BNTM (Brasil National Tourism Mart) was held in Salvador de Bahia. This is the largest business fair in Brasil in which tourism professionals from the Brasilian north-east and the international market participated, with the aim of encouraging business and promoting the region. Participants included 80 tourist representatives of Bahia, 362 international operators, of which 50% were from the European market, 35% from South America and 15% from North America, as well as 243 hoteliers and travel agents, 80 journalists and 27 Ministers of Tourism.

The program aims at improving the infrastructures and recovering the historic and natural appeal of several areas, including the coast, with the municipalities of Rio de Janeiro and Niteroi and the beach resorts of Angra dos Reis and Parary, Buzios and Cabo Frio.

ACCOR will construct 20 new hotels

Accor announced the signing of a “joint venture” with Walter Torre, one of the largest real-estate investors in Brasil, for the construction and operation of 20 hotels of the Ibis and Formule 1 chains.  The investment would be US$ 295.1 million.

This is the largest investment in the airline’s history, which has been named the leading company in Latin America in environmental protection.  The decision was disclosed at FIDAE (the International Air and Space Fair), where IATA launched an unprecedented initiative to reduce all forms of air pollution, in both CO2 emissions and noise reduction.

LAB informed that it intends to begin non regular flights, for which it doesn’t require authorization from the Superintendence of Transport, but it does require authorization from DGAC (General Directorate of Civil Aviation), which has not made an announcement yet.  The general manager of the airline indicated that the company had officially sent the request to DGAC with a schedule of between three and four daily flights on several national routes.

The head of the National Administration of Tourism of China, present at APEC, announced that China will begin the promotion of Peru as a touristic destination in its country.  During the next few months, they will meet with the representatives of Mincetur in China to organize and coordinate the promotional activities of the Peruvian Destination in that country.

The Australian representative of APACE stated that Peru offers great potential for Australian tourists who surf.  “Peru has a great potential for tourism.  One of the areas that has not been mentioned until now is surfing, where the opportunities between Australia and Peru are excellent.”

Inka Rail will request access to the Cusco-Machupicchu railway line

Representatives of Inka Rail and Ferrocarril Central Andino (Fetransa) met to evaluate the former’s request for access to the Cusco-Machupicchu railway line, which is operated by the latter.  “After informing them that they should indicate the specific schedule they wanted and the number of coaches they would use, as well as the date on which they intended to bring them, we agreed that they would resubmit their request with said modifications,” commented the director of Regulatory and Legal Services of Fetransa.

A new strategic tourism plan was presented which proposes that this year 1.8 million tourists will visit the city.  The proposition consists in the creation of new touristic products, the professionalization of those who work in the tourism industry, and the improvement of the conditions of touristic attractions.

As of May 14th, Tame will begin operations on the Guayaquil-Manaus, Brasil route which will operate on Wednesdays and Sundays.  It will analyze an agreement with TAM Linhas Aereas to market the frequencies with connections in Manaus arriving in Salvador, Brasilia, Sao Paulo and Rio with TAM.

Ipat and KLM reached an agreement to promote the Amsterdam-Panama flight, which has been operated by the airline since March 31st, in Europe.  Ipat will contribute 50% of the US$ 1.2 million publicity campaign, which will have greater intensity in Holland, Italy, Spain, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

The secretary of Tourism of Oaxaca stated that this city has almost recovered in regards to this activity and hopes to end 2008 with hotel occupation of close to 55%.  He also stressed that the new Aeromexico flights to this city can contribute to the increase in tourism.

American Airlines flies between Dallas and Tampico

American Airlines inaugurated the new route which will link Dallas with Tampico, in the state of Tamaulipas.  The operations, which will increase the number of the company’s destinations in Mexico to 15, will be covered by American Eagle.

Mexicana de Aviacion to join OneWorld

Mexicana de Aviacion will join Oneworld in order to strengthen its international flights, adding that this alliance will increase its routes because the participating companies will have access to 700 destinations in approximately 150 countries, with a combined fleet of 2,350 aircraft which will operate 9,500 flights per day and will transport 333 million passengers, representing an annual income of US$ 100 billion.

New caves were discovered in the Caguanes National Park of Yaguajay, in the central-southern Espirituan territory, which is considered a Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture. On the floor of one of these large caves food remains, mostly sea mollusks, were found and it was proven that it had been inhabited by natives of the Early Mesolithic or Siboney Guayabo Blanco, informed Hose Chirino, speleologist and organizer of the expedition.

Mexicana de Aviacion, Delta Airlines and Avianca are hoping to obtain new routes to and from the Dominican Republic.  Although Delta Airlines already has established routes from Santo Domingo to Miami and New York, it requested authorization to operate from the Dominican capital to Atlanta.

Modernization of Puerto Plata will cost US$ 150 million

Puerto Plata is once again showing signs of a boom and renewal in its touristic offer thanks to the governmental investment of more than US$ 150 million in remodeling projects of beaches and hotel infrastructures.

The Paradisus Varadero hotel was added to the Gulet Touristik list which gathers the 100 most popular establishments of its kind in the world.  This company makes up part of the World of TUI, the principal European wholesaler of this industry, based in Germany.

For the second consecutive year, the Prince of Asturias accepts the Honorary Presidency of EUROAL.  The chairman of the fair’s organizing committee and general director of the Congress and Exposition Palace of Torremolinos, Luis Callejon, expressed his great satisfaction for the repetition of this public show of support from the highest Spanish institution for the initiative which was promoted by the Municipality of Torremolinos and its congress palace in 2006, and which in 2007 was joined by the World Tourism Organization, through its entry into the shared presidency. Read more…

In Costa Rica the visitor can enjoy lovely tropical beaches, the grandest adventures, the wonders of nature, scintillating culture, all the necessary components of an ideal vacation. No wonder, then, that thousands of tourists have made Costa Rica their top travel choice. North Caribbean comprises the Caribbean coast and goes from the San Juan River to Limón city. Limón city is the touristic center of this Corridor, simultaneously working as an accommodation, stop over, distribution and touring center. Read more…