Tourism

• Wednesday, March 25th 2009 - 03:24 UTC

  Gibraltar wins Seatrade Cruise Shipping award

  

  The Gibraltar Cruise Terminal has won an award at the Seatrade Cruise Shipping convention held in the US city of Miami last week. Gibraltar received the 2008 award for the “Most Efficiently Managed and Operated Cruise Terminal in the Mediterranean”.

• Wednesday, March 25th 2009 - 03:21 UTC

  Chile invests in ports to boost cruise ship tourism

  

  Chile's Ministry of Public Works (MOP) recently launched a 15.5 million US dollars plan to build infrastructure in five of the country’s ports to allow cruise ships (some over 300 meters long) to dock in Easter Island and the Patagonia.

• Monday, March 23rd 2009 - 13:29 UTC

  Airlines mishandled 42 million bags in 2007, says consumer watchdog

  

  Airlines mishandled 42 million bags worldwide in 2007 compared to 30 million in 2005 according to the Air Transport Users Council. The consumer watchdog for the airline industry recalled that airlines primary duty to passengers is to put into place systems that will mean they mishandle as few bags as possible.

• Wednesday, March 18th 2009 - 15:39 UTC

  Cruise industry expects 2009 to be weakest in five years

  

  Growth in the cruise travel industry in 2009 is forecast to be the weakest in five years as the recession holds down household spending and widespread job loss hurts operations of the major cruise lines. However the industry’s leaders remain upbeat.

• Monday, March 16th 2009 - 19:54 UTC

  Cruise visitors spend £3million per year in Falklands

  

  VISITORS arriving in the Falklands in Cruise and Expedition vessels spend over £3 million per annum on tours, shopping, and food and beverages, according to a survey conducted over the summer season.

• Monday, March 16th 2009 - 14:57 UTC

  UK: Air passengers fall amid downturn

  

  Passenger numbers at UK airports fell last year for the first time since 1991. And the decline was particularly sharp in the final part of 2008 as the credit crunch started to bite, the figures from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) show.

• Monday, March 16th 2009 - 08:49 UTC

  Medieval document questions the “good” Robin Hood legend

  

  Scottish expert has uncovered a medieval document suggesting negative attitudes towards Robin Hood. The story of how Robin and his men stole from the rich to give to the poor has long been part of English folklore.

• Sunday, March 15th 2009 - 19:11 UTC

  The gaucho club: Uruguay provides good turf to saddle up and release your inner cowgirl

  

  Fernando tacked up the horses – with sheepskin saddles. So much for the tough gaucho life. The heat of the day had started to dissipate and we were heading out from El Charabon, a 2,000-acre estancia – or ranch – in the department of Rocha, southern Uruguay.

• Thursday, March 12th 2009 - 16:13 UTC

  Chile dropped six places on list of tourism destinations

  

  Chile dropped six places in the World Economic Forum’s latest travel and tourism ranking for the most competitive and attractive countries for travel and tourism.
  Chile is now in 57th place out of the 133 countries included in the study – beating out nearby countries like Peru (74th place) and Argentina (65th).

• Thursday, March 12th 2009 - 06:46 UTC

  Following four bullish years UN forecasts tourism industry downturn

  

  The United Nations World Tourism Organization said Wednesday that international vacation travel could drop 2% this year as the global crisis worsens. This will be particularly evident following the bullish years, 2004/07 when growth averaged 7%.