Ambassadors International Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to sell Queen of the West to Blue Spruce LLC, an affiliate of American Cruise Lines. The 142-guest Queen of the West most recently operated seven-night cruises on the Columbia and Snake rivers roundtrip from Portland, Ore.

Ultimate Escapes LLC, an Orlando vacation destination club, bought 49 properties with a combined appraised value of $50 million from Private Escapes LLC. Both companies specialize in high-end properties that are available in an assortment of locations.

Thomas Cook’s share price climbed 7p to 253p after creditor banks for insolvent German retailer Arcandor completed the placing of a 43.9 percent stake in travel firm, in one of the biggest share placing in Britain in recent years.

Radisson Hotels & Resorts’ recent addition to its portfolio of the Radisson Our Lucaya Resort, Grand Bahama Island represents a new market strategy for the hotel firm, according to Fredrik Korallus, executive vice president and COO. Radisson currently operates resorts in Aruba and St. Martin.

While New York City consistently ranks as one of the top U.S. destinations for tour operators, visits are likely to be adversely impacted with the September 1 expansion of hotel room occupancy taxes to include re-marketers, the National Tour Association (NTA) says. The move is also expected to impact travel agents and is opposed by ASTA.

Low-cost airline easyJet has announced plans to axe up to 20 percent of flights from its London Luton base as well as close its East Midlands hub. In a move that mirrors Ryanair’s recent hub streamlining, the low-cost carrier said it would look to relocate the Luton flights to more “profitable bases”.