Get our news on your inbox! x

Remember me Forgot password

MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, May 9th 2026 - 22:17 UTC

Tourism

  • Friday, May 8th 2026 - 15:40 UTC

    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.

    Add your comment!
  • Tuesday, May 5th 2026 - 22:18 UTC

    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.

    Add your comment!
  • Tuesday, May 5th 2026 - 03:23 UTC

    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.

    Add your comment!
  • Monday, May 4th 2026 - 01:45 UTC

    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.

    1 comment
  • Sunday, May 3rd 2026 - 09:54 UTC

    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.

    Add your comment!
  • Friday, May 1st 2026 - 06:39 UTC

    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.

  • Saturday, April 25th 2026 - 16:12 UTC

    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.

  • Thursday, April 23rd 2026 - 03:25 UTC

    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.

  • Wednesday, April 22nd 2026 - 09:17 UTC

    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

  • Friday, April 10th 2026 - 02:09 UTC

    Tourism accounted for nearly half of Uruguay's GDP growth in 2025, generating $2.04 billion in exports

    Uruguay received 3,604,488 visitors during 2025, a figure that exceeds the country's total population, estimated at around 3.4 million

    Tourism accounted for nearly half of Uruguay's gross domestic product growth in 2025 and represented 6.2% of the country's economic activity, according to the first monitor produced by the Uruguayan Chamber of Tourism together with the Center for the Study of Economic and Social Reality (Ceres), presented on Thursday in Punta del Este.

Previous