Minas Gerais Positioned as Brazil's
Brazil is a hot international destination right now and Minas Gerais is working to make their state the hottest in Brazil. Starting in April, Minas Gerais "will be the Destination of the Year" according to the Brazil Tour Operators Association (BTOA).
Cusco/Machu Picchu Update
Recent flooding in Cusco and Peru’s Sacred Valley caused
serious travel disruption around the area. A concise,
on-the-spot account from the South America Explorers
Clubhouse in Cusco reports “things are getting back to
normal and access to all of the spectacular sites around the
Sacred Valley has been restored.
Argentina Implements Entry Fee fo US Citizens
Dec 30, 2009 - If you live in a country that charges the Argentines before they enter your cuontry, as a foreign visitor to Argentina, you will have to pay a reciprocity tax when arriving in their country at Ezeiza airport.
Antarctica bumps Egypt out as top destination
Antarctica can appropriately claim to be the "coolest" desination in the world, according to a ranking by iExplore based on sales of its holiday packages.
US Airways To Add Service to Rio in December
US Airways is set to begin daily, non-stop service from its Charlotte, N.C. hub to the newly elected host city of the 2016 Olympic Games - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - on Dec. 15. Customers can score great savings on flights to Rio de Janeiro when they book their trip by Nov. 15 and begin travel between Jan. 7 and Feb. 10, 2010.
AA Keeps Repairs In-House
Instead of outsourcing its airplane maintenance to Mexico and South America, American is sticking with its own crew of 6,000 mechanics based in Tulsa, Okla., to service its fleet. This "insourcing" strategy also allows American to contract with other airlines and freight companies to service their planes.
Merged Avianca/Taca Airline May Pursue IPO
Avianca SA, Colombia's largest airline, may return to the U.S. stock market with a public offering following its planned merger with El Salvador's Grupo Taca, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The companies announced plans Wednesday to combine, creating one of Latin America's largest airline groups with annual revenue of almost $3 billion and operations throughout the region.
Tara Joins “Colombia Is Passion” Campaign
Miami-based Tara Tours has just released a full series of tour packages named after the theme of the Colombian government’s new promotion “Colombia is Passion.” As
an example, a Cartagena 7 day passion package includes roundtrip airfare from Miami via Avianca, six nights at the four star, transfers, city tour, and daily breakfasts for $781 per person double.
Virtual Maya Dictionary
A group of investigators have developed the first virtual dictionary of Maya terminology, with methodology for deciphering Maya glyphs.
The concept came into being as a result of the analysis of 400 lunar series inscriptions, calendars based upon movements of the Moon used by Mesoamerican cultures of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize; also associated to political documents.
Rio Wins 2016 Summer Olympics
Brazil will become the first South American country to host
the summer Olympic games. The announcement Rio won the 2016
event over finalists Chicago, Madrid, and Tokyo was greeted
with euphoria by the cariocas. Tens of thousands of cheering
Brazilians, crowded Copacabana beach when the news was
announced. The victory will be good for future tourism and
the city’s tourism infrastructure.
TravelMart: Colombia is Booming in a Hurry
Travel Agent Central spoke with Camilo Duque, tourism specialist for Proexport, Colombia’s tourism board. Duque told us that Colombia has seen roughly 25 new hotels in the last four years and nearly 10 in the last year alone. Duque added that the pace is not expected to slow down any time soon. In fact, the destination, which had 7,000 rooms open in the last four years, is expected to open another 7,000 rooms in the next two years.
TravelMart: Awasi to Expand in Chile, Argentina
Awasi, one of Chile’s hottest hotels as of late, is planning to expand near the Iguazu Falls in Argentina as well as Torres del Paine, Chile with groundbreaking expected as early as next year, Travel Agent Central learned Friday. The already popular brand has one eight-room luxury eco-lodge in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.
TravelMart: New Direct Flights From Major US Cities to Panama
Travel Agent Central has learned that Panama is roughly three weeks away from announcing new, direct Copa Airlines flights from New York, Los Angeles and Miami. The flights will be Copa’s first direct flights from those cities to Bocas del Toro, Panama, says Fernando E. de Leon de Alba, deputy general administrator for the Authority of Tourism of Panama. Although the announcement will come in less than a month, it is unknown when the flights will actually launch.
Peru's MINCETUR to Start Night Excursions to Machu Picchu in 2010
Peruvian Deputy Minister of Tourism, Pablo López de Romaña, announced that the authorities are evaluating the possibility of starting night tours to Machu Picchu, which would come into effect sometime between next December and April 2010
Rio de Janeiro Makes 20,000 Hotel Room Bid on the 2016 Olympics
In a bid to secure the win to host the 2016 Olympics, Rio de Janeiro officials have now announced that an additional 2,000 hotel rooms will be built in time for the games, should the city win the bid. This big announcement comes just before a vote that will decide where the games will be held. It seems that the International Olympic Committee’s key concern over Rio de Janeiro hosting the Olympic games was the lack of hotel rooms. It now appears as if this problem could be fixed now.
Easter Island Eclipse Sell-Out
Hotel rooms in Chile’s Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) are already sold out one year before of the July 11, 2010 total sun eclipse which will leave the island in semidarkness. Located in mid-Pacific where there are few hotels to reserve for the astronomical show Easter Island became fully booked a year in advance. The eclipse will get dark for four minutes and 45 seconds in Polynesia’s Oriental zone of the Polynesia where Isla de Pascua is located. The event has excited tourists and scientists who have made reservations for the 1,500 hotel rooms Easter Island offers.
Decameron Expanding in El Salvador
The success of the Hotel Royal Decameron Salinitas has motivated investors to expand in El Salvador with a new development in La Costa del Sol, 38 mi. from the capital San Salvador. The new beach hotel will be the second major investment by Decameron in El Salvador, and will operate under the same “all inclusive” format of the Decameron Salinitas. This investment will provide added value to the recent development of the Costa del Sol region, and will include one of the country’s most attractive beaches. A marketing plan is being developed to aggressively attract domestic visitors, and tourists from neighboring Central American countries. The strategy is based on achieving the maximum occupancy by offering attractive promotional rates.
Caral Visitors Double
After UNESCO named Peru’s sacred city of Caral-Supe as a Humanity Cultural Heritage site the destination is expecting to double the number of visitors this year to over 90,000. The intriguing complex is being promoted as what may be America’s earliest civilization. Caral’s ancient pyramids and temples belong to the late archaic period (3,000 to 1,800 years before Christ). Located in Supe River Valley, 95 mi. north of Lima, the ancient desert site covers approximately 66 hectares, and visitors today are fascinated by the daily archaeological excavations now underway.
Tintal Archaeological Site Map Unveiled
Tintal, the second largest Mayan settlement in Guatemala, now has a comprehensive map of the extensive archeological site. The new Tintal map shows the natural and archeological wealth of this Mayan site which is surely destined to become an important future tourism attraction. The Tintal area has fostered exploration-oriented tourism under the concept of eco-archeology, and fostered the inclusion of several nearby small communities in conservation efforts.
Sonesta Announces Two New Hotels in Chile
Sonesta has opened two new Chilean hotels. The first in Gran Concepción, and the second in
Osorno, in the Lake Region. The first has five stars, 120 rooms (20 suites, 20 doubles, 80 king
rooms plus lounges, meeting rooms, swimming pools, solarium and complete gymnasium.
The Osorno property is located in the Plaza Sol de los Lagos complex which offers easy access
to the city’s casino and several commercial businesses .
