Euro 0.63 - Argentina 3.05 - Bolivia 7.07 - Brasil 1.58 - Chile 495.10 - Colombia 1,802.01 - México 9.92 - Paraguay 3.900 - Perú 2.855 - Uruguay 19.00 - Venezuela 2.14

GOL announced 2 new flights to Salvador and Maceio from Buenos Aires this winter season.

Andes Lineas Aereas begins flights between Esquel and Madryn

On July 18th, Andes Lineas Aereas began flights between the Jorge Newbery Airport and the Esquel airport, with a technical stopover in Puerto Madryn. The flights will be operated with McDonnell Douglas MD 80 aircraft.

As of September 2nd, LAN will begin operations to Toronto, Canada. It will offer 5 weekly flights on the Santiago-New York-Toronto route.

On Thursday, July 17th, Uruguay launched its third official 2008 whale watching season in a ceremony organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports together with the Organización para la Conservación de Cetáceos (Whale conservation organization). The third season will last until October.

Continental Airlines is the first international airline to implement the automated check-in and other do-it-yourself terminal procedures. During the first stage, the service will be offered in the international airport of Galeao, in Rio de Janeiro, with 6 kiosks. In the near future, it will also be implemented in the Gualrulhos airport in Sao Paulo.

TAP to fly daily between Lisbon and Salvador

Beginning in October, TAP will once again make daily flights between Lisbon and Salvador, Bahia. It will no longer operate once a week between the capital of Bahia and Porto, Portugal.

Daniel Ratti, president of Taca Peru, will visit Paraguay this week to continue the negotiations that began last year. He will hold meetings with the authorities of Dinac, Rediex and others from the private and public sector, with a view to extending the company’s services in the country. TACA has 3 hubs in El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Peru, with which the airline connects North, South and Central  America.

AeroSur will operate its first flight to Madrid this coming August 8th with the recently purchased Jumbo 747-300.

In its latest edition, Travel + Leisure published its list of the most important tourism destination cities in the world, in which Cusco holds sixth place. The 13th edition of its Annual World’s Best Awards Readers’ Survey is the result of a study carried out among the magazine’s readers. www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest

Machu Picchu among the 25 best destinations in South America

Mach Picchu was chosen number one out of the 25 best South American destinations by the readers of TripAdvisor in the Travelers’ Choice Destinations Awards. The winners were chosen by travelers’ favorite places and their popularity on the TripAdvisor website. The website lexplorer placed the Inca monument among the top 10 cultural destinations in the world. It also represents the most sold destination of the month in said portal.

Two Peruvian establishments on the list of the world’s 100 best hotels

Travel + Leisure magazine published a list of the world’s 100 best hotels in its latest edition, in which the Hotel Monasterio and the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel represent Peru, holding the 31st and 98th positions, respectively. www.travelandleisure.com80/worldsbest/2008/

Jorge Chavez Airport chosen second best in South America

The Jorge Chavez International Airport was named the second best of South America for 2008 by Skytrax Research, a market study consultant specializing in airports.

Tourists will travel quickly and safely in taxis with GPS systems

Tourists who travel in authorized taxis from the Jorge Chavez international airport to different locations in the city will arrive at their destination quickly and safely. This will be made possible by 20 modern GPS devices, which contain a detailed map of streets and avenues, as well as a programmable voice alarm, which can give advice regarding clear roads in Spanish, English, Portuguese, French and others.

Ornaments and clothing of Mochica figure on display in Lambayeque

Next month, an exhibition of the archaeological pieces discovered in the tomb of the priest-warrior of the Mochica elite is planned. This discovery took place in the archaeological project Huaca El Pueblo in Ucupe, a department of Lambayeque.

Quito was chosen as one of the 25 best South American destinations by the millions of TripAdvisor’s readers in the Travelers’ Choice Destinations Awards. In its inaugural year, this competition recognizes the best destinations in the world based on travelers’ criteria.

Taca began 4 weekly direct flights between Medellin and Lima. The operation will encourage commercial and touristic exchange with Lima and will enable the airline to increase its number of offered flights by 29%. The airline plans to increase passenger demand by 17%, representing the movement of approximately 10,000 people between the 2 cities.

Satena to begin flights to Central America and the Caribbean

In the second semester, Satena will begin flights to the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Panama and other Central American countries. The flights will be operated with Embraer E 170 LR aircraft, with a capacity of 76 passengers.

Copa Airlines resumed daily flights to and from Tegucigalpa. The airline will continue operating flight numbers 824 and 825 to and from the Toncontin Airport with the same itineraries 7 days a week.

To the list of World Heritage Sites, UNESCO added Villa Protectora de San Miguel el Grande and the Sanctuary of Jesus Nazarene of Atotonilco in Guanjuato, as well as the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in the states of Mexico and Michoacan.

Government exempts tax for cruise ship tourists

Due to the lack of infrastructure in the National Migration Institute’s different migratory offices, since July 1st, 2008 the government has not been charging the US$5 tax to foreign visitors arriving in the country on touristic cruise ships. Mexican authorities have decided to extend the term to September 30th at the latest.

The government announced that American Airlines has agreed to resume its daily flights connecting San Juan to Los Angeles (California) and Baltimore (Maryland). The Port Authority added that they are negotiating with the airline to resume daily flights to Orlando (Florida) and Washington DC.

Coming from Montevideo through the Interbalnearia Route and following the path of white, fine and shiny sands, the visitor will suddenly see a scene of high towers along the sea, but there will still be a long way to enter the peninsula itself. Beaches have traveled with him, just as the yachts and boats headed to their docks. The peninsula constitutes a world of containment for the ocean waves’ force and produces two different kinds of coasts: Brava and Mansa. (Literally: Rough and Mild). The first one is directly facing the Atlantic and is the favorite choice of those who enjoy challenging its encircling foams. The second one delights children and quiet-spirited people. Being an area of land surrounded by the sea it presents a higher air oxygenation and a higher ozone, iodine and saltpeter proportion than an average coastal zone. Read more…