The Cuban government says it has prepared for a surge in tourist arrivals with an airport expansion plan and new luxury hotels under construction in Havana and popular beach resorts like Varadero. But according to tour operators, it is already getting difficult to find available hotel rooms or reserve tables at popular restaurants, especially during the high season.
International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) members have agreed that, for the 2015-16 season, they will not allow the recreational use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the unique, and often wildlife rich, coastal areas of Antarctica.
The results of the 2014/2015 cruise season were considered 'positive' for Punta Arenas, in the extreme south of Chile, which received 100 vessel calls, of which 40 international and 60 domestic, totaling 56.383 visitors, a similar number to the previous season.
The US Treasury Department has approved licenses for passenger ferry service between the United States and Cuba, a Treasury Department official announced. One of the licenses was issued to Baja Ferries, part of a major shipping group with passengers and cargo operations, including on Mexico's west coast, according to a lawyer who handled the license application.
The number of adventurous tourists visiting Antarctica dipped in the 2014-15 austral season but is expected to bounce back this year, according to visitor totals released by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO).
Tony Mason, Director, International Communications and Stephanie Middleton, Interim CEO of the Falkland Islands Tourist Board are in Rotterdam, Netherlands this week attending the IAATO conference where key issues affecting the region will be discussed.
Cruise visitors to Punta Arenas, extreme south of Chile during this last 2014/15 season increased by 30%, with 48 vessel calls between last October and April this year, according to Chilean migration and international police records. This represents 78.872 cruise passengers, and is an increase over the 35 calls from the previous season 2013/2014.
Hundreds of Royal Caribbean passengers were stricken with acute gastrointestinal ailments, including vomiting and diarrhea, on two cruise ships off the coasts of Mexico and California earlier this week. The debilitating illness was identified as norovirus, outbreaks of which aren’t uncommon on cruise ships, especially during the winter season.
Two South African companies, Mantis in the hotel business and Comair airline, will be playing a vital role in developing St Helena's economy through increased communications and the tourist industry, once the international airport is opened next February, according to the latest news from the British Overseas Territory in mid South Atlantic.
Ushuaia in the extreme south of Argentina expects sixteen additional calls for the next cruise season 2015/16, according to Tierra del Fuego province ports authority, which together with other representatives attended the recent Seatrade Cruise international fair held in Miami. This includes vessels from the Norwegian Cruise Line, as well as the Splendor of the Seas, Crystal Symphony and Japan's Asuka II.