Tourism

• Wednesday, August 19th 2015 - 06:51 UTC

  Sargassum seaweed, 'greatest single threat to the Caribbean tourism industry'

  

  It would take at least US$120 million and more than 100,000 people to clean up the Sargassum seaweed that has created “an international crisis” and “the greatest single threat” to the Caribbean, according to Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Sir Hilary Beckles.

• Tuesday, August 18th 2015 - 08:55 UTC

  South Georgia expects another cruise record season this 2015/16 season

  

  South Georgia is looking ahead to a new record year in the coming 2015/16 cruise ship season, according to the latest edition of the South Georgia Newsletter.

• Saturday, August 15th 2015 - 03:15 UTC

  Gibraltar to become 'turnaround' cruise port for London based Noble Caledonia

  

  London-based cruise company, Noble Caledonia, has announced the inclusion of Gibraltar as the turnaround port for two of its 2016 itineraries in the area. The news has been welcomed by the Rock's government which said this represented a major breakthrough achieved after years of negotiations by the cruise company’s local agent MH Bland with the support of the Gibraltar Tourist Board.

• Wednesday, August 12th 2015 - 08:25 UTC

  Sargassum bloom are ruining Caribbean beaches and tourism season

  

  The picture-perfect beaches and turquoise waters that people expect on their visits to the Caribbean are increasingly being fouled by mats of decaying seaweed that attract biting sand fleas and smell like rotten eggs.

• Friday, August 7th 2015 - 05:55 UTC

  Lan and Tam consolidate under an only brand of Latam Airlines

  

  LATAM Airlines Group will consolidate all its carriers, including Lan Airlines and Tam Linhas Aéreas S.A., into a single brand over the next three years, the company announced Thursday. Since Lan and Tam merged in 2012, they've operated as separate brands, but the parent company's goal has been to provide a carrier that can provide seamless coverage to the entire South American continent.

• Monday, August 3rd 2015 - 14:04 UTC

  Two new 180.000GT vessels for Costa Cruises powered by liquefied natural gas

  

  Carnival Corporation & plc announced that its Italian brand, Costa Cruises, has placed orders for two new cruise ships powered by liquefied natural gas as part of an agreement with Meyer Werft to build four next-generation cruise ships with the largest guest capacity in the world.

• Thursday, July 30th 2015 - 07:48 UTC

  Cruise lines agree to equal access for individuals with disabilities

  

  The U.S. Justice Department and Carnival Corp. have reached a comprehensive, landmark settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to advance equal access for individuals with disabilities who travel on cruise ships, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

• Monday, July 27th 2015 - 05:30 UTC

  Gibraltar complains about queues at the border with Spain; drop in tourism expenditure

  

  The Gibraltar Government has included the long queues of last Thursday afternoon at the frontier with Spain in its latest report to the European Union. Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia said the report will be presented “in order to draw attention to the manner in which the Spanish government is implementing the recommendations made by the commission”.

• Friday, July 24th 2015 - 20:21 UTC

  Tourism as a tool for development under-financed, claims Taleb Rifai

  

  Tourism’s underrepresentation in international financing for development flows remains a critical hurdle to overcome in order to fully deploy its development potential. Despite being a high impact economic activity, a major job generator and key export sector accounting for 6% of total world trade, tourism receives only 0.78% of the total Aid for Trade (AfT) disbursements and a mere 0.097% of the total Official Development Assistance (ODA).

• Thursday, July 23rd 2015 - 07:48 UTC

  Small fire on cruise vessel in Jamaica suppressed by its own equipment

  

  A fire aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that departed from Port Canaveral injured one crew member, but company officials say it was quickly extinguished. Black smoke could be seen billowing from the 1,112-foot Freedom of the Seas as it docked in Jamaica on Wednesday with 4.500 passengers.