Tourism

• Thursday, April 30th 2009 - 07:54 UTC

  Cruise lines suspend calls at Mexican ports

  

  At least three cruise lines have suspended stops as of this week at Mexican ports because of concerns over the country's swine-flu outbreak. The cancellation of ship visits followed a recommendation issued this week by the U.S. Centres for Disease Control that advised US citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Mexico.

• Monday, April 27th 2009 - 13:40 UTC

  Port costs inhibit cruise industry warn Punta Arenas operators

  

  Port authorities from Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile anticipate a complicated 2009/10 cruise vessel season which could mean 30 to 40% less visitors and a considerable drop in the number of calls.

• Sunday, April 26th 2009 - 19:26 UTC

  Cruise ship “Melody” fended off a pirate attack

  

  An Italian cruise ship carrying 1,200 passengers and crew fended off a pirate attack near the Seychelles, company officials said Sunday. The ship was attacked on Saturday evening by armed pirates firing shots from a small speedboat, 330 kilometres from the Seychelles where the liner had last anchored.

• Thursday, April 23rd 2009 - 13:09 UTC

  Brazil liberates international air passenger fares

  

  Brazil’s Civil Aviation Agency, ANAC, announced Wednesday the gradual liberation of air fares for all international flights departing from Brazil. The decision applies to all regular airlines, national or international and will be arranged according to a one year chronogram.

• Monday, April 20th 2009 - 06:29 UTC

  Uruguay’s cruise season “very good”; caution about 2009/2010

  

  The 2008/09 cruise season in Uruguay has come to an end over the weekend totalling 169 calls which is 87% higher than the previous season. However the big news is that while the port of the capital Montevideo virtually received the same number of tourists, the exclusive South Atlantic sea-side resort of Punta del Este almost doubled the calls.

• Saturday, April 18th 2009 - 13:10 UTC

  Agreement on new limits for Antarctica tourism

  

  Countries with ties to Antarctica have adopted US proposals to limit tourism in the region, in a bid to protect the fragile ecosystem of the continent.

• Friday, April 17th 2009 - 08:22 UTC

  Gibraltar-Madrid daily flights will resume next April 30

  

  Flights between Gibraltar and Spanish capital Madrid will be resumed later this month (April 30th) according to Andalus General Director Fernando Guerrero, who made the announcement this week at a presentation by the regional airline in the Campo Mancomunidad, in Algeciras.

• Thursday, April 16th 2009 - 01:24 UTC

  Valparaiso port expects less cruise activity next season

  

  Chile’s Valparaiso port authorities confirmed that 15 cruise voyages that were planning to visit the port next season have now been suspended. Making matters even worse, vacation cruise companies Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Discovery confirmed they no longer plan to dock in Chile because of high operational costs.

• Wednesday, April 15th 2009 - 05:05 UTC

  “Aurora” round-the-world cruise ends short and with compensation demand

  

  The stricken cruise ship Aurora has arrived back in Britain amid the threat of legal action from passengers, reports The Daily Telegraph. Engine trouble forced the ship to miss out three ports in New Zealand and two in the Pacific Islands on the £16,000 per passenger round-the-world trip.

• Tuesday, April 14th 2009 - 11:48 UTC

  Obama’s Cuba policy triggers strong hopes from cruise operators

  

  Shares of Miami-based cruise operator Royal Caribbean jumped on Monday on news that the administration of President Barack Obama was allowing Cuban Americans to travel more freely to the Castro-family ruled island.