June 1, 2006        www.LatinEPR.com          LatinEPR News Wire

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LATIN AMERICA - COMMUNICATIONS/MEDIA

 

Global Internet Use Closes on 700 Million

 

694 million people 15 and older used the internet in March 2006, according to comScore Network’s recently launched World Metrix, the first true estimate of global online audience behavior and size.  The number, which excludes traffic from internet cafes, mobile phones, or PDAs, represents 14% of the world’s population within this age group.  World Metrix data also reveals that US internet users, which used to make up two thirds of the world’s online population, now only account for less than a quarter.  In fact, Asian countries, including China, Japan, India, and South Korea now comprise about 25% of the worldwide online population (168.1 million users), 11% more than the US (152 million users).  Within Latin America, Brazil has the highest number of internet users (13 million).  A comprehensive release of the new findings will be published this month.  In regards to online properties, MSN-Microsoft sites topped the list for internet users, followed by Google and Yahoo!.  Sites with the highest number of pages viewed were the same three properties, but in exact inverse order.

 

Hispanic Market Advertising Expenditures to Reach US$4.3 Billion by 2010                                

                   

By 2010, Hispanic market advertising expenditures are forecast to increase to about $4.3 Billion, according to Research and Market’s latest report – U.S. Hispanic Media Market: Projections to 2010. Advertisers spent an estimated $3.3 billion to market their products and services to U.S. Hispanics in 2005, a 6.8 percent increase from the previous year.  Based on the rising Hispanic population, which was estimated at 41.8 million last by the U.S. Census, and on the increased purchasing power of Hispanics, which reached 8.9% of the total U.S. population in 2005, the report estimates that advertising expenditures in this market will increase by $1 billion in the next four years.  Hispanic-directed advertising on network and national television, especially, will continue to demonstrate tremendous growth in the coming years, as will advertising in magazines, newspapers, and on radio.  But the author of the report cautions that advertisers must not treat the Hispanic market as monolinguistic or homogeneous.  He suggests the slowing of expenditures from 10.8 percent growth in 2004 to 6.8 percent growth in 2005 could be reflecting a strategic discontinuity, as advertisers try to reassess which aspect of the Hispanic market to tap into: the more traditional Spanish-language market, and/or the relatively new, English-speaking or bilingual 2nd and 3rd generation market.  Either way, the Hispanic market still represents only 2.3 percent of total U.S. advertising dollars, despite steady gains made in purchasing power and the Hispanic population’s fast growth rate – 3%, compared to the overall U.S. population, which grew 1% over the last year.                                                        

 

USAID Releases Eco-Development Bulletin for the DR

 

At the beginning of last month, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in conjunction with the International Resource Group (IRG), the Investment Fund for Environmental Protection, and the NGO Alliance, made a public bulletin – "Socially and Environmentally Responsible Ecotourism Projects"  - enumerating the projects being planned to improve ecotourism in the Dominican Republic.  Among the projects are the Cuesta Colorada Ecotourism and Environmental Education Center in Nagua; Placement of Bracing Buoys and delimiting of the Hotel Zone in Bayahibe; and Refurbishment and Management of the Sabana de la Mar Dock and its Environs for Ecotourism Use.

 

 

LATIN AMERICA - NEWS BRIEFS

 

Iberia to Spend US$2 Billion on Acquisitions in Latin America

 

Spanish airline Iberia announced this past week that it is looking into investing upwards of US$2 billion in the Latin American market.  At the moment, most of Iberia’s long distant flights are to Latin America, with demand in that market rising 7.6% last year.

 

Brazilian Gol Airline Introduces New Chile Flights

 

Brazilian airline Gol is fast expanding in the region, recently announcing its introduction of regular flights to Chile.  The airline, launched only five years ago, began with six aircraft, but now boasts a fleet of 47 Boeing 737s, and over 460 daily flights to 49 different destinations.  Gol already has 30% of the Brazilian domestic market, second only to TAM, and is quickly adding international destinations.  In addition to servicing routes to Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and now Chile, the air carrier is also targeting Peru.

 

Brazil: Tourism to Create 1.2 million New Jobs until End of 2007

 

According to a recent report by Agencia Brasil, Brazil’s tourism sector is expected to directly and indirectly generate 1.2 million jobs from now until the end of 2007. According to the minister of Tourism, Walfrido dos Mares Guia, the tourism industry has created over 600,000 positions since 2003, and could finish 2006 with the opening of another 310,000 positions. 

 

A Good Year for DR Tourism

 

The Dominican Republic saw record foreign air arrivals in the first quarter of 2006, according to figures recently released by the Central Bank.  The country experienced an 8.8% increase over the same period last year with arrivals totaling 987,599, up from 907,683 in 2005.  The leading airport continues to be Punta Cana International Airport, which showed a 19.5% increase over the first quarter last year, followed by Puerto Plata International (up 5%), Santo Domingo’s Las Americas International (down 9%), and Santiago’s Ciba (up 14.7%).

 

Lan: Best Airline in Central, South America and the Caribbean

 

For the sixth time Chile’s flag carrier Lan was named the best airline in Central and South America and the Caribbean according to the Official Airline Guide, the leading world guide in the airline industry.  Lan was also in the short list of eight companies for the Best Airline of the Year 2006, next to carriers such as British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Continental Airlines, Emirates, Quantas, CSA Czech Airlines and South African Airlines.  For over two decades OAG awards have been granted according to the opinion of most frequent flyers all over the world who select the best air carriers at international level, acknowledging the excellence of services offered to clients.

 

Boeing: Latin America Requires 1,700 New Aircraft in the Next 15 Years

 

Latin America will purchase 1,700 new jet aircraft over the next 15 years, confirmed Boeing in an interview with Flight during the 14th annual International Airline Chief Executive Conference.  The company received 67 new aircraft orders from the region in the first quarter of this year and is expecting 12 new orders before the end of 2006.  Boeing Vice President John Wojick explains that 70% of Latin American demand is geared toward narrowbody aircraft with 100-200 seats.  Although Gol has placed most of the region’s Boeing orders, Aeromexico, Copa Airlines, and Lan Airlines are also making plans to expand.

  

Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Cuba among United Nations Human Rights Council

 

(Mercopress) – May 9, 2006 - Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Cuba are among Latin American countries elected to the newly-created United Nations Human Rights Council, which will replace the Geneva-based Human Rights Commission.  The election for the council began with 64 countries competing for 47 available seats distributed among U.N.'s five geographic regions. Argentina received 158 votes; Uruguay, 141; Cuba, 135 and the other Latin American nations which also received the necessary votes include: Brazil (165), Ecuador (128), Guatemala (142), Mexico (154) and Peru (145). Venezuela and Nicaragua were unable to garner sufficient support.  The new U.N. body was created by the General Assembly last March 15 with the purpose of monitoring and guaranteeing respect for human rights around the world. 

 

Brazil Becomes Energy Self-Sufficient

 

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced that his country had reached energy independence with the inauguration of a new offshore oil rig this past April.  State-owned fuel company, Petrobas, stated the rig could boost production to 1.9 million barrels a year, more than the 1.85 million barrels consumed domestically.  Brazil is already making news for its strides in alternative fuel, particularly its successful introduction into the consumer market of ethanol, which is produced at home and has done much to make the nation energy self-sufficient without petroleum.

 

Uruguay and Argentina Mad-Cow-Free

 

(Mercopress) – May 24, 2006 - Uruguay, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina were officially recognized by the World Animal Heath Organization, OIE, as the only four countries in the World free of Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis, BSA, more commonly known as “mad cow”.  The BSE-free status was approved by the 168 countries present at the 74th meeting of the annual OIE assembly in Paris and will be valid until May 2008 when the organization will change the assessment criteria, admitting countries with an insignificant risk.  Four other countries figure in “provisionally free” short list: Chile, Iceland, Paraguay and Singapore.  Regarding foot and mouth disease the OIE office ratified Uruguay as free of FAM with vaccine together with Taiwan, China and Paraguay. However, the status of FAM without vaccine was cancelled for the majority of Brazilian states and for Argentina with the exception of South of parallel 42 (Patagonia).

 

Child Labor Down

 

Child Labor in Latin America and the Caribbean decreased by more than 68 percent between 2000 and 2004 according to the latest report by the International Labor Organization (ILO) - "The End of Child Labor: Within Reach." The report shows that the number of child workers between the ages of 5 and 14 in the region decreased from 17.4 million to 5.7 million.  This means only 5 percent of all children are now engaged in work.  In Brazil, a country that has made some of the greatest advances in eradicating child labor, the number of child workers ages 5-9 decreased by 60% between 1992 and 2004, and by 36% in the largest group of children ages 10-17.  The reduction in child labor is a result of “a greater conscience and political will [of the countries] and concrete measures, particularly in terms of education, which have allowed for a worldwide movement against child labor," stated the ILO.

 

Expansion of Panama Canal

 

The Panama Canal Authority has proposed doubling the capacity of the canal with a US$5.25 billion expansion project.  Financed by toll increases, the expansion would be completed by 2014, which marks the canal’s centennial.  The referendum to pass this proposal into law could take place in the fourth quarter of 2006, but until then it faces opposition from environmental groups, who argue that expanding such a major thoroughfare could adversely harm the surrounding ecosystem with the increased traffic, require too much water, and displace thousands of farmers.

 

Montevideo and Buenos Aires Rank Best Cities in Latam

 

Montevideo and Buenos Aires rank as the two cities in Latin America with the best quality of living, according to a survey by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.  The ranking is part of an annual World-wide Quality of Living Survey, covering more than 350 cities, to help governments and multinational companies place employees on international assignments.  The Swiss cities of Zurich and Geneva top the list, followed by Vancouver, Canada and Vienna, Austria. Almost half of the top 30 scoring cities, which are evaluated based on such criteria as health, education, public services, and political and economic environments, are in Western Europe.

   

Latin America Has Strong World Cup Hopes

 

Seven countries will represent Latin America and the Caribbean when the 2006 FIFA World Cup kick starts on June 9th in Munich, Germany.  The hopeful nations include: Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago.  Of these, Brazil and Argentina are strong favorites entering into the competition.  Brazil has won the illustrious tournament five times, more than any other country, and hosted once in 1950, while Argentina has won the World Cup twice and hosted in 1978.  Uruguay, which hosted the first event in 1930 has also won two times, but failed to qualify this year, falling out to Australia.   The FIFA World Cup is the world’s premier sporting event - the 1998 event in France enjoyed an accumulated audience of 37 billion, with a global audience of 1.3 billion for the final alone.

 

DID YOU KNOW?

 

Ancient Observatory in Peru Shocks Archaeologists                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                    

The Los Angeles Times reports that archaeologists working in the Peruvian Andes have discovered the oldest celestial observatory in the Americas. The 4,200-year-old structure marking the summer and winter solstices is as old as the stone pillars of Stonehenge. The observatory, built atop a 33-foot-high pyramid, provides an astronomical calendar for agriculture through a system of precise alignments and sight lines.  The structure, according to archaeologist Robert Benfer of the University of Missouri, indicates a mysterious people who achieved a level of culture no one thought to have existed in the region until at least 800 years later.