January, 2005 www.LatinEPR.com LatinEPR News Wire
Our thoughts are with all the people whose lives were affected by the terrible earthquake disaster in South East Asia.
Dear Reader, LatinEPR wishes you all a happy 2005! We all hope for a peaceful world, a world we all can learn to love more each day despite its adversities, a world where we can live, work, love, create and procreate in harmony. Mucha felicidad y alegria! Warm regards, Ellie Perla
For additional subscriptions to this newsletter or to unsubscribe, please contact us at: ellieperla@aol.com
or call 305-535-0951
COMMUNICATIONS/MEDIA
The web has proven once more to be the communication tool of the future. In times of crisis, there is no better place that keeps us informed and makes it easy to join forces and help people in need. Please go on the web today! On any news page of your choice you can find links where you can donate to the relief efforts for the disaster that affected South East Asia this past week. They say that money isn’t everything but it helps! In this case, it is, and every bit you can give does help. Thank you for you efforts!
Fox Television Group’s branch network Fox Latin America is moving its central sales office from Los Angeles to Mexico, as well as opening additional offices in Bogotá, Caracas, and Santiago. The News Corp. subsidiary’s recently appointed vice president for Latin America is Carlos Martinez. The first new Fox channel in January 2005 will debut in Brazil with a variety of male viewer targeted high-impact sports programs.
Elgourmet.com, Latin America’s first fine living e-magazine, was launched this December in association with Grupo Q, an Argentine-based creative agency which will help co-edit the magazine.
According to the Online Publishers Association, 2004 marks the first time that Communications surpassed Content as the leading internet activity. These finding confirm that the Web is indeed becoming an essential tool in family households and an overall primary information source.
LATIN AMERICAN TRAVEL AND TOURISM STATS AND NEWS BRIEFS
Panama’s economy grew 7.5% during the third trimester of 2004, as the result of rising tourism, duty-free shopping, gaming, and construction. The Economy and Finance Department is projecting a total growth of 6% for the entire year of 2004.
TACA, one of the most important airlines in Latin America, has signed a firm contract for the purchase of 14 additional Single Aisle Airbus aircraft, including for the first time in Latin America the A321. TACA already successfully operates a fleet of 32 Airbus aircraft (eight A319s and 24 A320s) serving the whole American Continent from Canada in the North to Argentina and Chile in the South.
United Airlines began its non-stop flights to Dominican Republic, Punta Cana International Airport from Chicago O'Hare International airport on 17 December. The flights will continue throughout the winter season and spring, ending on May 1.
Travel industry in Venezuela raised 46% this year with 430,005 foreign visitors and larger numbers of national travelers moving around the country. Foreign visitors spent a total of $703 million, a $30 increase from 2003.
As many as 20.5 million tourists have visited Mexico from Jan. – Nov. 2004, and spent over $10 billion. Local authorities expect the number of foreign visitors to rise by 5.1 percent next year, with revenues in the neighborhood of $11 billion, up 6.5 percent from 2004.
Puerto Rican hotel facilities reached 79.1% occupancy through the month of November 2004, up 3.2% from the same period of time a year ago. San Juan metro area saw a 3.9% increase in occupancy in the first eleven months of 2004, while facilities on the countryside registered a 2.5% increase.
Uruguay's Gross Domestic Product grew 13 percent in the first nine months of 2004 compared to the first three quarters of last year.
Conviasa, Venezuela's new state-run air carrier will start flying the skies of South America and the Caribbean in January 2005.
Despite a spiral of violence that's sweeping Rio de Janeiro, the
Brazilian
city continues to be one of the most sought-after travel destinations
for Argentineans.
As many as 792,710 Argentine tourists visited Brazil last year, and a
quarter of them headed for Rio de Janeiro. The town of Buzios came in
second with 16.9 percent of that total, followed by Sao Paolo (12.8%)
and Florianopolis (12%).
United Airlines and Delta Airlines have announced the beginning of direct flights between the United States and Costa Rica in an effort to offer better connections for the latter's travel industry. United Airlines opened a nonstop weekly flight on December 18 between the cities of Chicago and San Jose, the Costa Rican capital.
Dominican Republic is reporting a decrease between 30%-40% of the cost of plane tickets, due mainly to the lower cost of the US dollar on the local exchange market. Tickets to Puerto Rico, Miami, New York and Spain are the lowest they have been in several months.
International commercial air traffic was up 10.8% this October from the same month of the previous year, announced the International Air Transport Association (IATA.) The IATA, based in Montreal, reported that the first ten months of 2004 experienced 16.9% more traffic compared to the same period in 2003.
Mexico has the distinction of being home to nine UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites. Globally, it is only surpassed by Italy and Spain, and thus enjoys international financial and technical support for restoring, researching, and maintaining the country’s national treasures.
In an effort to improve travel between Peru and Chile, the governments of both countries have agreed to introduce swifter passport controls for their citizens. Peruvians and Chileans will now only be required to present a valid state ID at the border.
Peru expects to surpass predicted growth in its tourism industry for 2004. Although previous estimates had placed growth at 12% for the year, tourism appears to have increased as much as 20% over 2003. In 2004, Peru received 1,100,000 visitors, more than 400,000 foreign tourists to Machu Picchu alone.
Arrivals from Spain to Peru increased 32.3% between January and October 2004 compared to the same period of the previous year. European arrivals to the South American country increased 8.5% overall.
Beginning January 2005, citizens of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia traveling within each other’s borders will no longer need a visa, provided they arrive via one of the four countries’ international airports. Other requirements include a valid passport issued more than six months previous, roundtrip airline ticket, and either proof of hotel reservation or a notarized invitation with local contact information.
Five cities in Latin America and the Caribbean have been selected to receive the United Nation’s “Cities with Heart’’ award, which gives recognition for exemplary contribution to volunteer action. The winning cities in the region are Bogotá; Tegucigalpa; Esmeralda, Ecuador; Natal, Brazil; and Falmouth, Jamaica. This is the first year for the “Cities with Heart” distinction, and the UN plans to award the prize annually henceforth.
For the first time in 17 years, Colombia expects to receive over one million hotel guests in 2005. The hotel industry has experienced rising occupancy rates since 2003, thanks to improved security and stronger confidence in the coffee-growing nation. The average occupancy rate in Colombian hotels for 2004 reached 51%. Bogotá, in particular, registered the highest occupancy with 63.1%, followed by Cartagena in the Caribbean with 59%.
Peru’s designation as the official tourist destination for China is anticipated to bring about many more changes in an effort to strengthen relations between both countries. With respect to air travel, two new routes are being studied: Beijing-Toronto-Lima and Beijing-Mexico City-Lima.
The flavors of chile peppers, Peruvian olives, and suspiro limena have caused a virtual explosion on the Hong Kong palate. Responsible for the taste revelation is Peruvian chef Alfredo Aramburu, who was invited by PromPeru to be in change of this year’s Gastronomy Festival in Hong Kong. Organized by PromPeru in association with the Asian corporation Miramar, the festival was developed to help further define Peru as a tourist destination by introducing the Chinese to its celebrated cuisine. The event should also encourage the establishment of a new luxury Peruvian restaurant in the city of Hong Kong.
The Colombian holding company Valorem announced the sale of nearly 50% of its shares in the Avianca airline to Synergy Group of Brazil, thus converting Synergy into Avianca’s majority shareholder.
LOOK IT UP
CHILE
The Chile information Project
Entertaining travel news and info
Travel Information
http://www.apec2004.cl/index.asp?idioma=ing
APEC 2004
PERU
Compilation of daily Peruvian news
http://www.masitravel.com/info/n.htm
Latest news and travel information
Peruvian news agency (Spanish)
Very interesting site with current news, news on Peruvian historic sites and discoveries, and much more trivia and info
CURIOSIDADES
Latin Americans celebrate the holiday season with many customs similar to those in North America and Europe. For the predominantly Christian population, the holidays come with adorned Christmas trees, lavish dinners, fireworks, and fiestas. The major difference is the climate. Even if Latin America has its fair share of snow on the mountain peaks during most of the year, the holiday season and New Years are celebrated in summer. December marks the beginning of the warm season, and January and February are dedicated to vacationing at beach resorts and other summer activities. Central America and Mexico, both located in the northern hemisphere, enjoy a tropical and sub tropical climate, where snow is almost nonexistent.
When promoting travel to potential Latin American visitors, it is important to remember such details, and focus on services that appeal to Latin Americans during each of their seasons.