Tourism

• Tuesday, January 29th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Record visitors to Torres del Paine park in south Chile

  

  Visitors to Chile's world famous Torres del Paine national park in Patagonia reached a new record in 2007 and in the current summer season an average of over a thousand tourists cross the park's checkpoints daily.

• Tuesday, January 29th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  “Good” global tourism outlook after a record 2007

  

  Global tourism soared to a record performance in 2007, led by emerging markets, and the outlook remains good despite financial crises and high oil prices, the UN World Tourism Organisation said Tuesday in Madrid.

• Monday, January 28th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  A group of 16 Brits touring Magallanes on bicycles

  

  This week sixteen British adventurers who have chosen bicycles for sport and pleasure will be arriving in the extreme south of Chile for a sixteen days tour of the Magallanes region including Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine national park, reports Punta Arenas La Prensa Austral.

• Thursday, January 17th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  British Airways daily non stop flights London Buenos Aires

  

  British Airways has announced plans to significantly increase services to South America with a daily direct flight to Buenos Aires and starting next winter non-stop flights to Rio de Janeiro.

• Sunday, January 13th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentine flight delays spark passenger violence

  

  Frustrated passengers smashed ticket counters and threw objects at airline staff at Argentina's main airport on Saturday after the country's flagship airline canceled international flights for a second day.

• Sunday, January 13th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Australians arrive in NZ by kayak after 62 days

  Two Australians have become the first people to paddle to New Zealand across the Tasman Sea in a kayak.

• Saturday, January 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile backs proposal for Dakar Rally in South America

  The Chilean government will back a proposal to bring the Dakar Rally to South America after terrorist threats forced the cancellation of the off-road endurance race traditionally staged across the Sahara desert.

• Saturday, January 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Nepal/NZ mourn loss of Mount Everest colossus conqueror

  

  Nepal, the country of Mount Everest, has been remembering Sir Edmund Hillary, the joint first conqueror of the summit. Sir Edmund died in his native New Zealand, aged 88, after a heart attack.

• Saturday, January 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile expects 700.000 foreign tourists in Jan/February

  Chile expects 700.000 foreign and overseas Chileans tourists this summer, up 10% over the same period a year ago, which are expected to inject 400 million US dollars to the economy, according to estimates from the National Tourism Office, Sernatur.

• Wednesday, January 9th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Possible alternative 2008 “Dakar Rally” in central Europe

  

  Dakar Rally organizers are considering a race through central Europe this spring to replace the event that was cancelled due to security concerns, the head of the Czech KM Racing Team said on Monday to French sources.