May, 2005 www.LatinEPR.com LatinEPR News Wire
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COMMUNICATIONS/MEDIA
Colombian Parliament to Have Own News Channel
By the end of this year, Colombia’s parliament will have its own news channel on which to broadcast parliamentary sessions and committee hearings. The National Television Commission (CNTV) is handing over approximately US$900,000 to the RTVC (National Radio and Television of Colombia), which is in charge of the government project. The channel should be ready to launch within the next nine months.
Editorial Televisa Acquires Competitor Editora Cinco
Editorial Televisa, subsidiary of media giant Grupo Televisa, has acquired full control of Editora Cinco after a year and a half of lengthy negotiations. Editora Cinco is one of the largest publishing houses in Colombia and also produces twenty titles in Mexico.
Mexico Regulates Marketing of ‘Miracle’ Drugs
Mexico’s congress approved an amendment to the General Health Law which would regulate pharmaceuticals that promise magical cures for ailments such as weight loss. More than 30 products being currently advertised as ‘magical’ abuse and violate marketing ethics.
ESPN Magazine in Spanish
ESPN has joined with Editorial Televisa to produce a Spanish version of ESPN The Magazine for its US Hispanic readers. The monthly periodical should hit new stands by mid-2005.
Nike and Rede Band launch Soccer Reality Show in Bandeirantes
This March, the Brazilian television network Rede Band, together with Nike, began production on a new reality show that aims at discovering the country’s next big soccer star. Similar to the Big Brother premise, this show, taped in Bandeirantes, brings teenage soccer players together to compete and display their talents. Hosting the show, which received some 3000 applications, is former World Cup Champion and national coach Mario Lobo Zagallo.
Costa Rica Awarded During ITB 2005
Costa Rica was awarded two separate honors during ITB 2005 this past March. The country’s Proyecto Turistico Finca Sonador de Perez Zeledon was recognized by the TO DO 2004 program for tourism with a social conscience. The second award came from Travel Weekly, which named Costa Rica the best destination for American travelers.
Dominican Republic Wins Prize for Best Promotional Video at ITB
The award for best promotional travel video this year at ITB in Berlin went to the Dominican Republic for “Republica Dominicana…Inagotable!.” Chosen from among 45 entries, the Tourism Secretary’s video extols the Caribbean nation’s cultural and natural treasures.
LATIN AMERICAN TRAVEL AND TOURISM STATS AND NEWS BRIEFS
Ecuador President Lucio Gutierrez Removed from Office
Lawmakers in Ecuador voted to remove embattled President Lucio Gutierrez from office after a week of escalating street protests demanding his ouster, and they swore in Vice President Alfredo Palacio to replace him. Mr. Gutierrez, who had taken refuge in the Brazilian embassy Wednesday April 20, after a crowd stormed Quito’s airport preventing him from leaving the country, was granted political asylum in Brazil. Ecuador has a history of political instability. It has had seven presidents since 1996, three of them including Mr Gutierrez, were forced out of office. Mr. Gutierrez as an Army colonel rose to prominence by leading a successful movement to topple then-President Jamil Mahuad in 2000 with the backing of the country's several indigenous organizations. The events leading up to the current crisis began in December when Mr. Gutierrez sacked the entire Supreme Court and replaced the Judges with figures linked to the president and his political allies. Mercopress
Euro Goes Further in Paraguay, Egypt, India, and Argentina
Germans traveling abroad can make the most of their Euros in Paraguay, Egypt, India, and Argentina, according to a study conducted by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis). Of the 93 countries surveyed, the Euro enjoys the highest buying power in Paraguay, where one Euro is equivalent to 1.68. In Argentina, the Euro buys 45-60% more than its actual value, and the trend is likely to continue with the currency’s high exchange rate. In fact, the study revealed that German travelers can take advantage of the Euro’s strength in at least 68 countries. Only Japan and the Scandinavian nations are more expensive.
Lima Among 10 Least Expensive Cities in UBS 2005 Survey
In the latest Prices and Earnings Survey conducted every three years by the Swiss, UBS, Lima in Peru ranked among one of the ten least expensive cities in the world. Within the Latin American region, only Buenos Aires was cheaper, while Mexico City and Sao Paulo were the most expensive. The UBS survey compares the world’s 71 most important cities in terms of income, the price of goods, and resulting purchasing power. Overall, Oslo, Copenhagen, and Tokyo had the highest cost of living of any city, Bombay the lowest.
Taca Launches Peru-Colombia Routes
Starting April, Taca Peru will begin daily service between its Lima hub and several Colombian destinations.
Dominican Food packages move millions
For years Dominican living abroad have sent money home. Last year they sent more than US$2.7 billion to the Dominican Republic. Now, according to the Listin Diario, there is a new wave of remittances: food packages. "Moving companies" are handling over a thousand container loads of food packages a year. Each container carries between 100 and 120 boxes of food for relatives in the DR. The cost to send such assistance is about an average of US$75.00. The movers, associated under the mantel of Freight Consolidators of the North Region (Asocanorte), number 24 with four more outside the association. According to the people that were interviewed by the Listin Diario reporters, it takes about US$150 to fill one of the food boxes and about US$200 to US$250 to fill one of the plastic tanks that are also used. While shipping is not fast, it is very reliable and many families have come to depend on the boxes for survival. The business is profitable for the movers and the Dominican Customs office. The 1,344 containers that came into Puerto Plata paid over RD$2 million and the Aduana gets another RD$201 million. Working just with averages, the reporters figured that these food packages are bringing in remittances worth very close to US$25 million. DR1
Air Madrid Plans to Service All Latin America
Air Madrid’s route between the Spanish capital and Buenos Aires is being viewed by the airline as a stepping stone for expanding its reach into Latin America. The airline is planning agreements with existing Argentine carriers in order to service the entire region in the near future.
76% of Chileans approve Socialist President Ricardo Lagos Administration
With only a year before his term is up, a categorical 76% of Chileans approve Socialist President Ricardo Lagos administration, according to an opinion poll conducted by independent firm Ipsos Chile
Brazil will have the first bullet train in Latinamerica
The super speed train to be built by Italian corporations will cover a distance of 205 kilometres at a speed in the range of 250 kilometres per hour. The first high-speed train will run between the cities of Brasilia and Goiania, capital of Goias, a distance of 205 kilometers which will be covered in more than 50 minutes, with speed reaching 250 kilometers per hour. Goiania is the largest city close to Brasilia, the Brazilian capital, which was built more than four decades ago, 1,140 kilometers from Rio de Janeiro (until then the country’s capital) and 1,027 kilometers from the industrial hub of Sao Paulo. According to preliminary studies, each bullet train railway kilometre of the 205, will have cost in the range of 8 and 10 million US dollars.
Argentina Passes Bill Reducing Diesel Fuel Import Duties
The Argentine Congress unanimously approved a bill reducing diesel fuel import duties for four months to ensure a normal supply in the coming winter months, when demand increases and to help contain domestic prices. Last year Argentina faced a shortage of natural gas which forced many local industries to use liquid fuels. The bill is targeted to cheapen fuel costs for electricity generating plants and guarantee farmers an abundant supply of diesel for harvest time. Argentina is expecting a record crop of grains this season.
Argentina Invests US$15 Million to Attract Higher Income Travelers from Europe
An ambitious new campaign to attract higher income tourists from Europe has Argentina investing US$15 million this year. The marketing campaign will target countries like Spain, which already enjoys strong ties with the South American nation, as well as Italy, Germany, and the UK. Particularly in the case of the United Kingdom, Argentina hopes to restore the cultural and economic bonds the two countries shared in the previous century.
Emigrants Send Over US$45 Billion in Remittances to Latin America
Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean were up 20% in 2004, according to Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). Of the 120 billion dollars transferred annually around the world, $45.8 billion now reach the region, making Latin America and the Caribbean the top remittance market. Most of the transactions are made by emigrants living in Europe and the US, prompting a rise in the partnering agreements between US and Latin American banks.
World Wildlife Fund Calls for Responsibility with Whale Watching Tours
In its continuing efforts to safeguard marine mammals, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is calling on the international tourism industry to act responsibly in its sale of whale watching tours. These tours are especially important to Central America’s tourism industry, where more than 62 tour operators offer whale watching in Costa Rica, and the activity generates more revenue in Panama than visits to its famous canal. The WWF has been particularly active in Latin America in 2005, creating the Valvidian Coastal Reserve in southern Chile, a 150,000 acre temperate rainforest. The organization also helped establish the Alto Purus National Park and Communal Reserves in the Peruvian Amazon. Alto Purus serves to preserve the way of life for hundreds of indigenous peoples and is part of a 700 mile conservation corridor stretching from Brazil to Peru.
Drought Means Huge Losses for Brazilian Grain Harvests
Drought in Brazil has reduced this year’s grain harvest by 12.4 million tons, according to reports from the National Supply Company (Conab). Brazil’s southern regions, which have suffered the worst of the droughts, also produce 60% of the nation’s grain. An evaluation by Conab of Mato Grosso do Sul, Sao Paulo, and Goias in the week of March 14-18 revealed that soybean harvests were already down by 8.3 million tons for 2005, while maize production dropped by 3.2 million tons. (AméricaEconomía.com)
Peru Becomes Cruise Ship Destination
Peruvian ports received 15 cruise ships in 2004, and authorities expect the arrival of 12 additional ships, carrying up to 1900 passengers each, within the first quarter of this year alone. Last year, 11,382 passengers passed through the ports of Callao (Lima), Salaverry (La Libertad), and San Martin (Ica).
Brazil Educates Family Farmers on Agritourism
The Brazilian Ministry of Agrarian Development is proposing a government-subsidized education program to teach family farmers about growing agritourism in their rural areas. A training course has already begun in the southern town of Joinville. 40 private and government specialists are showing family farmers ways in which they can create agritourism business on their own properties. The ministry is aiming to educate 27,000 farmers by 2007.
LAN Chile will Begin Operations in Argentina next June
Lan Chile will begin operations in Argentina next June through Aero2000-Lan absorbing a thousand workers from two bankrupt Argentine airlines.
Mercosur and the European Union Talks Paralyzed
Argentina admitted that negotiations for a free trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union are virtually paralyzed and only a political understanding at the highest level could get the process rolling again.
Economic Activity in Argentina Expanded in February 8.6%
Economic activity in Argentina expanded in February 8.6% compared to the same month a year ago and 0.1% over last January, accumulating 8.8% over Jan/Feb 2004 according to the latest data from the Statistics and Census Office.
Colliding Iceberg Changes Antarctica Map
One of the largest icebergs ever seen and drifting in Antarctica, B-15A broke a five kilometres piece of the continent after colliding with the Drygalski ice tongue, forcing the redrafting of Antarctic maps. Iceberg B-15A is 115 kilometres long which originally broke off Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf in 2000. Scientists predicted an imminent collision of the iceberg back in January, but instead it ran aground and stalled. However last month it broke free. B-15A is the largest chunk left of a bigger iceberg, known as B-15 that broke off in March 2000 with the size of the island of Jamaica.
The European Space Agency in Paris warned that maps of the area covering the seventy kilometres long Drygalski ice tongue in the McMurdo Sound are no long reliable. The satellite images show how a city size chunk of the Drygalski ice tongue has been let out into the ocean. Further damage from the bottle shaped 2,500 square kilometres iceberg can be expected according to the ESA scientists. However scientists also point out it’s unlikely that this particular event is connected to global warming as the advance of the ice sheet is a continual process. Even with the calving of this gigantic iceberg, the edge of the ice shelf has simply returned to where it was half a century ago. Mercopress
LOOK IT UP
COSTA RICA
Website includes information, trivia, customs, culture, community, business, etc. – in English
Economic indicators, law, banking, financial reports from Costa Rica’s Central Bank – in Spanish
Travel site in English, includes useful information on the country
Mayor newspaper – in Spanish
CURIOSIDADES
Nicaragua Seeks to Break Guinness World Record for Largest Cookout
Nicaragua is hoping to enter the Guinness Book of World Records after staging the largest ever barbeque in the northern city of Matagalpa on March 12, 2005. Organized by Chef Ramon Mejia, the street festival used 120 grills to cook more than 12,000 lbs. of beef and chicken, which were sold at six cents a portion.