MercoPress https://en.mercopress.com/ South Atlantic News Agency en Copyright 2026, MercoPress. https://en.mercopress.com/web/img/en/mercopress-logo.gif MercoPress http://en.mercopress.com/ <![CDATA[Paraguay aims for 10 million tourists by 2037 with megaparks and foreign capital]]> Paraguay received 3.6 million international visitors in 2025 —2,029,678 tourists and 1,627,516 day-trippers— a 91.24% increase over the previous year The new minister of Paraguay's National Tourism Secretariat (Senatur), Jacinto Santa María, has announced a plan to turn the country into a regional tourism destination and draw up to 10 million annual visitors by 2037, a target that would almost triple the flow recorded in 2025 and which the official aims to reach by attracting major foreign investment to develop theme parks and megaprojects. Santa María, who took office two weeks ago, laid out the proposal in an interview with the EFE news agency and at his first press conference at the head of the agency.

]]> Wed, 13 May 2026 16:38:00 GMT <![CDATA[Ushuaia landfill scrutinized in cruise ship hantavirus outbreak probe]]> Several of the roughly 150 tourists who set sail for Cape Verde on 1 April had visited the landfill, which is frequented by birdwatchers from around the world, drawn by scavenger species Seven kilometers from downtown Ushuaia, the municipal landfill serving Argentina's southernmost city has become one of the focal points of the epidemiological investigation into the hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship. Health teams are searching the site for traces of infected rodents. The landfill is frequented by birdwatchers from around the world, drawn by species such as the white-throated caracara, a scavenger bird endemic to the region.

]]> Fri, 08 May 2026 15:40:00 GMT <![CDATA[Falklands monitor MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak and clarify the route did not include the islands]]> The Falkland Islands Government announced that the KEMH “will review its policies for receiving unwell passengers off cruise ships, on a case-by-case basis” The Falkland Islands Government issued an official statement on Tuesday confirming that it is closely monitoring the hantavirus outbreak aboard the polar cruise ship MV Hondius — a vessel that frequently operates in the archipelago's waters — and took the opportunity to correct information reported by some international media outlets suggesting that the ship had stopped at the islands on its current voyage from Ushuaia. The Falkland Islands Maritime Authority clarified that this information is incorrect and that the Hondius's most recent visit to the archipelago was in mid-February, weeks before the journey that triggered the current health crisis.

]]> Tue, 05 May 2026 22:18:00 GMT <![CDATA[Cape Verde denies docking to hantavirus-hit cruise ship as WHO confirms seven cases]]> Aboard the Dutch-flagged Hondius are 147 passengers and crew members of 23 nationalities, including 17 Americans and at least 4 Canadians Cape Verde's health authorities on Monday denied permission to dock at the port of Praia to polar cruise ship MV Hondius, on board which the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed seven cases of hantavirus — two of them laboratory-verified — and three deaths linked to the voyage. The decision leaves the nearly 150 people remaining on board in prolonged isolation in Atlantic waters, while medical evacuations are coordinated for patients in the most serious condition and authorities evaluate the possibility of continuing the journey toward the Canary Islands, on Spanish territory.

]]> Tue, 05 May 2026 03:23:00 GMT <![CDATA[Three dead in hantavirus outbreak aboard polar cruise ship from Ushuaia bound for Cape Verde]]> The current itinerary included stops at the Falklands, the South Georgia Islands, and Saint Helena. According to maritime tracking websites, the ship was on Sunday off the port of Praia The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed three deaths on Sunday aboard the polar cruise ship MV Hondius from a hantavirus outbreak, a disease typically transmitted through rodents. The vessel, operated by the Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, had set sail from the port of Ushuaia, in Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province, on March 20, bound for the port of Praia in Cape Verde, where its journey was scheduled to conclude on May 4.

]]> Mon, 04 May 2026 01:45:00 GMT <![CDATA[Another Antarctica season of over 100.000 visitors, according to IAATO]]> The Antarctic Treaty Secretariat says annual tourism has risen to more than 100,000 visitors with most visitors reaching by ship via the Antarctic Peninsula (Pkc IAATO) The latest official report from IAATO, (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators), put total 2024-25 visitation at 118,491, after 122,072 in 2023-24, meaning traffic remains well above the 100,000 mark even after a modest pullback.

]]> Sun, 03 May 2026 09:54:00 GMT <![CDATA[Adventure Tourism in Latin America: Capturing Moments Beyond the Guidebook]]> The market for portable, durable recording devices has expanded accordingly, with options ranging from smartphone-based solutions to dedicated action cam systems designed for high-motion environments Latin America has long been a destination for travelers seeking authentic experiences, from the Amazon rainforest to Patagonian peaks. Yet the region's adventure tourism sector has evolved dramatically over the past decade, driven not only by improved infrastructure and tour operators but also by the democratization of content creation technology. Today's travelers are not passive observers; they are documentarians of their own journeys, capturing and sharing experiences in real time across digital platforms.

]]> Fri, 01 May 2026 06:39:00 GMT <![CDATA[Viking's Jørn Henriksen new IAATO executive committee chair]]> Just-elected IAATO executive committee Chair Jørn Henriksen Jørn Henriksen, director of expedition operations at Viking, was elected chair of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, (IAATO) executive committee.

]]> Sat, 25 Apr 2026 16:12:00 GMT <![CDATA[European airlines cut flights and raise fares as Iran conflict fuels jet fuel crisis]]> Lufthansa said the cuts would save approximately 40,000 metric tons of fuel. Reductions target routes operated from Frankfurt and Munich Lufthansa Group announced on Tuesday the cancellation of 20,000 short-haul flights from its summer schedule through October, the most significant measure taken so far by a European airline in response to soaring jet fuel prices driven by the conflict in Iran. The decision is part of a broader trend reshaping European aviation ahead of the peak travel season.

]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2026 03:25:00 GMT <![CDATA[Falklands participating at the IAATO annual meeting at Annapolis, MD]]> The Falklands representatives at the annual IAATO meeting A delegation of Falkland Islands representatives is currently attending the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, IAATO, Annual Meeting, (20/23 April), which also includes a Marketplace expo, at Annapolis, Maryland, United States

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