
The United States on Friday sharply reduced flights allowed to go to Cuba in a bid to reduce revenue to the communist island. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that charter flights would only be allowed to fly to Havana, not other airports - a step already taken with commercial flights.

Qantas Airways was named the safest airline in the world on a Top 20 list published by AirlineRatings.com, followed by Air New Zealand and Taiwan's Eva Airways. Singapore Airlines was sixth, Cathay Pacific Airways ninth and Virgin Australia Holdings 10th.

A septuagenarian tourist to Rio de Janeiro is in critical condition from a gunshot wound after mistakenly entering one of the city's favelas. Police said in a statement that they rescued two Swiss tourists injured in a mugging on Sunday night.

One of the largest and newest cruise ships in the world has crashed into the pier in Palermo, Italy causing damage. The MSC mega-ship which was only recently christened in early November 2019 has crashed into the pier in Palermo, Italy. No injuries have been reported including passengers and crew onboard the vessel.

Thousands of residents and holiday makers have been told to evacuate a swathe of Victoria as soaring temperatures and strong winds fan massive bushfires in the Australian state.

Carnival Panorama has won the “Best New Cruise Ship” of 2019 in the Cruise Ship Awards. The new Vista-class vessel was up against Spectrum of the Seas from Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Encore operated by NCL, Sky Princess from Princess Cruises, MSC Bellissima from MSC Cruises, Costa Smeralda operated by Costa Cruises, MSC Grandiosa from MSC Cruises and Costa Venezia which is also in the Costa Cruises fleet.

Good news and bad news for the tourism industry of Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile. The good news is that this Friday some 3.150 cruise visitors are expected to land in the city, they are passengers from the Norwegian Star and the Viking Jupiter, each contributing with 2.348 and 800 pax.

The world's largest river cruise ship will launch spring of 2020 on China's Yangtze River, according to its maker Victoria Cruise Lines. The ship, named Victoria Sabrina, is operated by the New York-based Victoria Cruises and was created in conjunction with nine research and design firms, according to Victoria Cruises.

Australian popstar Kylie Minogue has invited weary Britons to forget politics and “call on your friends in Australia” in a tourism campaign launched in Britain on Christmas Day.

A voracious fire in the Chilean city of Valparaíso began on Tuesday and extended until after Christmas Eve on Wednesday, leaving about 245 homes destroyed, 2000 people without power and a dozen injured. The authorities believe that the fires in the tourist city were intentional.