Tourism

• Monday, November 2nd 2009 - 14:09 UTC

  Antarctica cruise season begins in Ushuaia; 225 calls anticipated this year

  

  With the departure last week of icebreaker “Kapitan Khlebnikov” (*), Ushuaia marked the beginning of the Antarctica cruise season. Located in the extreme south of Argentina Ushuaia has become the gateway for Antarctic cruises virtually monopolizing 92% of the traffic

• Saturday, October 31st 2009 - 11:35 UTC

  “Oasis of the Seas” with its 2.700 cabins on maiden voyage to Florida

  

  The world's largest cruise liner began Friday its maiden voyage to Florida, gliding out from a shipyard in Finland with an amphitheatre, basketball courts and an ice rink on board. The 16-deck Oasis of the Seas spans 360 metres from bow to stern. Its 2,700 cabins can accommodate 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew.

• Saturday, October 31st 2009 - 01:20 UTC

  Gibraltar promotes tourism in Madrid with Spanish airline support

  

  The Gibraltar Tourist Board held a tourism workshop in Madrid, Spain this week, in conjunction with Ándalus Líneas Aéreas, as part of the Rock’s government’s commitment to an ongoing joint marketing drive with the airline in Spain.

• Wednesday, October 28th 2009 - 08:17 UTC

  “Scientific route” one of this season’s amenities at Torres del Paine Park

  

  The Chilean National Service of Tourism (SERNATUR) in November will open a new route through the Torres del Paine National Park, in Chile’s Patagonia, that will offer geologic and physical information about eleven specific sites within the park.

• Wednesday, October 28th 2009 - 07:21 UTC

  World’s largest cruise vessel, 225.282 tons delivered to Royal Caribbean

  

  The final pieces are falling into place for “Oasis of the Seas” with the ship's future owners Royal Caribbean and homeport Fort Lauderdale in Florida State poised to introduce the world to the largest cruise ship ever built.

• Tuesday, October 27th 2009 - 12:19 UTC

  Uruguay’s flag carrier Pluna flies cargo between Santiago and Punta Arenas

  

  Pluna, Uruguay’s flag carrier began this month commercial cargo flights between Santiago and Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile and has plans to incorporate passengers in the near future, reports La Prensa Austral.

• Tuesday, October 27th 2009 - 07:34 UTC

  Uruguay tops the 2009 Legatum Prosperity Index in South America

  

  Uruguay tops the 2009 Legatum Prosperity Index in South America and is only second to Costa Rica in Latinamerica and ahead of Chile and Argentina. However Latinamerica’s best placed countries in the index which defines prosperity as wealth and wellbeing are in the thirties out of a total list of 104.

• Friday, October 23rd 2009 - 12:05 UTC

  Valparaiso expecting fewer cruise ship tourists this summer

  

  With the official tourist season starting on October 31, Chile’s main port Valparaíso tourism leaders say they are expecting 85.000 tourists cruise ship tourists this coming summer season. This figure is a considerable drop from previous years and could result in lower prices for tourism related services.

• Friday, October 23rd 2009 - 08:51 UTC

  “Shell-shocked” Brazil demands an end to violence in “Olympic City” Rio

  

  Brazil’s main opposition party demanded responsibility from President Lula da Silva in combating the wave of violence rocking Rio do Janeiro and which has left at least 35 killed in shootings with the drugs’ gangs that even downed a police helicopter.

• Thursday, October 22nd 2009 - 20:40 UTC

  Tourism Satellite Account a first for the Falkland Islands

  

  The Falkland Islands Tourist Board this week launched the nation’s first ‘Tourism Satellite Account’ (TSA), a United Nations endorsed international standard for measuring the true economic impact of tourism.