Tourism

• Wednesday, March 7th 2012 - 02:54 UTC

  Blatter apologizes to Brazil; requests interview with President Rousseff

  

  FIFA president Sepp Blatter sought on Tuesday to defuse a war of words between FIFA and Brazil by personally apologising for disparaging remarks made by a top official about the country's slow progress in preparing for the 2014 World Cup.

• Tuesday, March 6th 2012 - 23:55 UTC

  China boosts domestic security budget to face growing unrest

  

  Premier Wen Jiabao said China would strengthen its military's capabilities to win “local wars under information-age conditions”, even as the government announced a steep 11.5% rise in domestic security spending to ensure stability ahead of a leadership transition.

• Tuesday, March 6th 2012 - 20:12 UTC

  Ushuaia tourism industry demand retraction on ban to UK flagged cruises or coming from Falklands

  

  The president of the Ushuaia Chamber of Tourism again called Tuesday on the Governor of Tierra del Fuego Fabiana Rios to retract from interpreting the ‘Gaucho Rivero’ bill in a way that bars British or convenience flagged cruise vessels from docking in Ushuaia.

• Monday, March 5th 2012 - 23:58 UTC

  Brazil sends letter to Blatter: no dealings with FIFA’s Valcke: he’s a bum

  

  Brazil's Sports minister says he has delivered a letter telling FIFA that it won't deal with Secretary General Jerome Valcke during the country's preparations for the 2014 World Cup.

• Saturday, March 3rd 2012 - 04:37 UTC

  Puerto Madryn welcomes all cruise vessels; Ushuaia tourism industry blasts the governor

  

  The Patagonian province of Chubut said that contrary to what happened earlier this week in Tierra del Fuego, there is no ban on any cruise vessel flag and all are welcome to dock and make use of the provincial ports’ services, particularly Puerto Madryn which belongs to the South Atlantic sea tourism circuit.

• Friday, March 2nd 2012 - 05:22 UTC

  Falklands confused over Ushuaia decision to turn away cruise vessels

  

  The Falkland Islands government and tourist industry admit to being confused and thus unable to comment in any great detail on the recent decision, apparently, by the Argentine provincial Government of Tierra del Fuego, turning away from Ushuaia two British flagged cruise ships earlier this week.

• Wednesday, February 29th 2012 - 00:19 UTC

  Tugs pulling ‘Costa Allegra’ to Seychelles; helicopter drops of bread and torches

  

  Two tugs finally reached on Tuesday the stranded “Costa Allegra” cruise and are pulling her to the Seychelles Islands. The vessel on Monday suffered a fire which left her powerless approximately 200 miles southwest of the Indian Ocean islands.

• Tuesday, February 28th 2012 - 20:10 UTC

  British cruise avoids Chilean port because of protests and social unrest

  

  Another British cruise vessel had to cancel its visit to a South American port, this time in Chile but not because of political disputes with the UK, but rather as a direct consequence of local protests against the national government.

• Tuesday, February 28th 2012 - 19:54 UTC

  Banning cruise vessels coming from Malvinas, “cheap way of making sovereignty”

  

  The law was ‘misinterpreted’ and “the authorization awarded to cruise vessels by the (Argentine) Foreign Affairs ministry was ignored”, claimed the president of Ushuaia Chamber of Tourism Marcelo Lietti reacting to the weekend decision to bar two red ensign cruises from entering Tierra del Fuego.

• Monday, February 27th 2012 - 17:29 UTC

  Costa Allegra out of power adrift 200 miles from the Seychelles Islands

  

  An Italian cruise ship with more than 1,000 people on board is without power in the Indian Ocean following a fire. The Costa Allegra is adrift more than 200 miles southwest of the Seychelles, near Alphonse Island.