The traditional off-road competition Dakar Rally will run from January 3rd to 18th, 2009, between Argentina and Chile, with start and finish in Buenos Aires.

It will be located in El Calafate and will cover an area of 2,000m2.  There are only two museums of this category in the world, but, according to its creator, “it won’t be a copy of either one.” The President Cristina Kirchner has already given her approval.

This year, 124 cruise ships will arrive in Buenos Aires (25 more than in 2007); especially large ships, which mostly come from the Caribbean.

With an investment of US$ 52 million, the project which will have 160 rooms and suites. This hotel will form part of the Starwood Hotels chain, owner of the Sheraton. It will be the third five-star hotel that is being constructed in the area.

The Check-In Web service in LAN.com increased by 300% last year. During 2007, there were more than 300,000 passengers registered in Argentina who carried out their Check-In by Internet.

The chain of Boutique Hotels and Lodges Ten Rivers & Ten Lakes incorporated its eleventh establishment in the Argentinean Patagonia: El Puma Hosteria – Lodge, situated in el Chalten, Santa Cruz Province.

The company will exclusively suspend the direct flights from Sao Paulo to Lima and vice-versa as of February 11th and to Santiago as of March 1st.

Gol totaled 1.4 million reales in net income in the fourth quarter of 2007, with an increase of 42.5% in relation to the same period of the previous year.

The founder of JetBlue Airways wishes to form a new airline in Brasil and is negotiating with Embraer for the purchase of 36 medium-range passenger aircraft.  The president of JetBlue may have obtained US$ 200 million for the new company.  In addition, he may have already purchased a small Brasilian airline called Cheta, with the government’s authorization to operate in the country.

Lan was chosen as the best airline in the region, according to the Lo Mejor de America Latina 2008 ranking from the Latin Trade magazine.  The company obtained the highest score among a total of 12 airlines.

Last week, two Chinese aircraft destined to strengthen the fleet of aircraft of the Transporte Aereo Militar (TAM) arrived.  The capacity of these aircraft was planned – initially – for 60 people; however, it was decided to make a configuration for 52 passengers.

American Airlines registered an increase from 25 to 30% in the demand of its destination to Miami in 2007.

During January, the arrivals of foreigners to the country increased by 21.4% in comparison to the same period last year.  In January this year, 87,508 passengers arrived at the Jorge Chavez international airport, compared to 72,072 last year.

The Ministry of Transport and Communication (MTC) granted Continental Airlines the renewal and modification of the operative permit of the international regular air transport service of passengers, cargo and mail, for a period of four years, as of January 22nd, 2008.  The MTC authorized the airline to carry out flights between New Jersey and Lima in seven weekly frequencies, the same as between Houston and Lima.

The qp Hotels and Resorts Worldwide chain inaugurated its first boutique hotel under a new concept of “An All Suites Boutique Hotel”.  The qp Hotels “A quality place to stay” became a reality with an investment of USA$ 3 million.  It has 33 suites.

In April, the Peruvian group Inkaterra will inaugurate a boutique hotel in the Plaza Las Nazarenas in the city center of Cusco.  The project required an investment exceeding US$ 2 million.  This boutique hotel consists of the renovation of a colonial-style home constructed in 1585.  It has been up-dated, maintaining its architectural style but adding unconventional features.

The concession of the Bucaramanga, Cucuta, Valledupar and Barrancabermeja airports has not yet begun and is threatening to fail.  The deficit which the country’s four main east air terminals register annually is making the director of Civil Aviation delay in making his decision.  He foresees little interest on behalf of the private sector in this bid.

As of June, the official airline of Venezuela will begin flights to Spain, beginning with two weekly flights.

Coral reefs, beaches, volcanoes, lakes, colonial architecture and gastronomic richness are some of the Central American touristic attractions which will be promoted with the aim of drawing European tourism.

The Secretary of Tourism informed that the federal government created a National Investment Fund, through which it will allocate 270 billion pesos in the next years.

The Mexican airport operator GAP informed that the passenger traffic in its terminals increased by 12.5% in January, compared to the same month in 2007, boosted by the increase in local travelers and a rebound in international travelers.

As of the 19th of this month, Continental Airlines will operate its flights from Terminal 2 of the International Airport of Mexico City.

A five-star hotel is being constructed in Terminal 2 of the International Airport of Mexico City; NH Hotels will be in charge of its administration.  Its opening is foreseen for the end of this year.

The Secretary of Tourism said that although there is a slightly negative outlook, due to the economic recession of the United States, they calculate an increase of between 3 and 4% in touristic activity in the Dominican Republic in 2008.  Last year, the tourism increase in the country was of 1.7%.

The President of the Dominican Republic verified for himself the poor conditions of the routes that link touristic destinations in the country and is willing to speed up the existing works and build new ones.

The arrival of tourists to Jamaica in the first week of February underwent an increase of 17.1%, this being the largest registered in the last years in this period, according to the information gathered from official statistics, which consider this increase as promising for the sector.

I still remember when I made my first visit to the jungle. It was about 20 years ago to Iquitos. After nearly 3 hours in a motorboat we arrived at the hostel. It was rustic, very rustic. There was no electricity. The refrigerator ran on kerosene. The water, from the river… the food was delicious, but very limited by what the environment near the hostel offered, and very simple. It was almost like camping, or barely a step towards something like comfort (or towards less discomfort?). Read more...