 | Upon arriving in the post as the new Minister of Tourism, Francisco Javier Garcia said he’s “not going to work over the ashes of others, and instead on the basis of their effort” and that he’s obliged to surpass his predecessor Felix Jimenez’s work even in only by half a point. |
| The executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), Terestella Gonzalez Denton, on behalf of Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila, announced that 10 historic coffee plantations, known as haciendas, will form part of the Island’s newly designated Coffee Zone following certification by the Department of Agriculture and the PRTC. |
| American Airlines will begin nonstop flights from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to Montego Bay, Jamaica, on Jan. 31, 2009. Though American has long served Montego Bay, it will be the airline’s first-ever nonstop flight there from Chicago. |
| Frontier Airlines is changing its EarlyReturns mileage program, introducing new mileage redemption levels and fee structures. The changes will be effective Sept. 15. These changes are a necessary step in the continuing battle against high fuel costs. E-mails detailing the fee and mileage changes will be sent to all EarlyReturns members this week. |
 | The eyes of the travel industry will be firmly focused on events in Orlando, Florida this coming weekend when the World Travel Awards North American and Central American Ceremony honors the top achievers in travel. |
| Supporting the hospitality industry’s continued efforts to decrease carbon footprints and develop eco-friendly properties, the 93rd Annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS) will feature educational programming, a special exhibitor and product awards highlighting the latest sustainable products and resources. |
| lastminute.com’s Labs team has launched the beta version of its first mobile application FoneFood, a European-wide multi-lingual restaurant table reservation service. The service is available at http://m.lastminute.com/fonefood. The user can access this by logging on to Internet via mobile phone or sending SMS. |
| HostelBookers.com has rolled-out videos of its properties, offering users as well as agents and operators a better experience on the website. The UK-based budget accommodation website says it has set an industry first in the budget accommodation sector in doing so. |
| Mexican developer Whole in One Nuevo Vallarta S.A. de C.V. announced it is building a $150 million luxury hotel-condo development in Nuevo Vallarta. |
| GOGO Worldwide Vacations launched its very first Central America Sale, including packages to Costa Rica and Belize. GOGO is offering reduced rates and multi-city packages, where hotels can be mixed and matched to suit your clients’ needs. |
| The Globus family of brands is offering savings on 17 vacations to emerging destinations in Mexico, Central & South America. Clients receive $200 off per person on the air-inclusive price of any 2009 Globus, Monograms or Avalon Waterways South American vacation booked by Oct. 31. |
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 | Tropical storm Hanna has been heading toward the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos and the U.S. southeast coast in a piecemeal, erratic movement. A hurricane warning remains in effect for the central Bahamas, southeastern Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Islands. |
| Several cruise lines have altered itineraries for ships sailing in the Caribbean near the path of Hurricane Gustav or Tropical Storm Hanna. Carnival Cruise Lines said the Carnival Ecstasy, which departed Galveston on Aug. 28, will spend an extra two days at sea because the port is closed. |
| Sunset Resorts, operators of Sunset Beach Resort & Spa in Montego Bay, Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort & Spa in Ocho Rios and Sunset at the Palms in Negril, has made assessments of all three of the company’s North Coast Jamaica properties. Sunset Jamaica Grande, Ocho Rios, sustained no damage. |
| Divi Resorts announced a Dec. 23 opening for the new towers currently under construction at Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach in the Palm Beach area of Aruba. The expansion project includes four eight-story buildings that more the double the size of the resort. The curtain also goes up on a new complex of restaurants, pools and grounds. |
| The Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort in St. Lucia announced the creation of 42 new Anthurium Lily junior suites with ocean views to be added to the upscale property by December 2008. |
| The sixth and final building in the initial phase of the Sonesta Jaco Resort, in Costa Rica, has been topped-off, marking the end of the race to the sky and a new surge in efforts to finish the interior of the largest high-rise resort on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast. |
| Holland America Line has a mobile-friendly version of its website for all devices able to connect to the Internet. “More and more people are using mobile devices to get things done when traveling, while waiting in line, and at other so-called down times,” said Richard D. Meadows, executive vice president-marketing, sales and guest programs. |
| Carnival Cruise Lines will deploy the “Fun Ship” Carnival Elation on a new three- and four-day cruise schedule from San Diego beginning February 12, 2009. The new routes will visit Ensenada, Mexico and Catalina Island, CA. The ship currently operates four- and five-day cruises from San Diego and will continue that program through the departure of February 7, 2009. |
 | Delta and Northwest received government approval to expand their codeshare program on transpacific flights, beginning Aug. 30, according to the carriers. |
| In the first half of this year the number of overseas tourists arriving in Uruguay increased 13.7 percent compared to the same period in 2007, according to Benjamin Liberoff, chief advisor of the country’s Ministry of Tourism. |
| A master-planned resort and residential community is taking shape on a 483-acre former coconut plantation in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, just six traffic lights and 16 miles from San Juan Airport. |
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