International Airlines Group has reported a first quarter operating loss of €278 million, before exceptional items, an increase from the €249 million losses reported in the same period a year ago. Losses were largely due to an exceptional charge of €311 million in the quarter, principally relating to restructuring at Iberia.

Opposition Spokesman on Tourism Edmund Bartlett is questioning the profile of the new investors who have purchased The Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall in Montego Bay, St James. The employees were told they would be made redundant.

Against a background of calls for shifting investment focus to waning traditional sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing, the travel and tourism industry is now firmly established as the largest export sector of Caribbean countries.

Resort property developments throughout the Bahamas have reported a huge boost in sales in the first quarter of the year as investor confidence returns, with some developments expected to sell out by the summer.