Carnival Corporation & plc reported net income of $1.23 billion, or $1.49 diluted EPS, on revenues of $3.91 billion for its third quarter ended August 31, 2006. Third-quarter revenues ramped up 8.3 percent, primarily driven by a 5.2 percent increase in capacity and an increase in revenue yields (revenue per available lower berth day).

The hotel sector in the Dominican Republic grabbed as many as $69 million worth of foreign investments in the first half of the ongoing year, official sources say. The increase climbed a whopping 31,9 percent as compared to that figures posted in the same period in 2005, according to the Direct Foreign Investment Department of the Dominican Export and Investment Center.

Dominican President Leonel Fernandez wrapped up a busy agenda in Chicago last week, where he dictated a conference on the opportunities of investment in his country in the Harris School. Fernandez also met with executives of hotel company Roco Ki, whose front office promised to expand their project in Macao, in the Dominican province of Altagracia, with an additional $1 billion.

Cuba’s economy grew 12.5 percent in the first half of 2006, boosted by a surge in the construction, transport and services industries, Economy and Planning Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez said. This year the economy is likely to attain a second straight year of growth exceeding 10 percent as local investment and proceeds from exports such as nickel and sugar cane boost government coffers and workers’ incomes, Rodriguez said at a press conference in Havana.

Royal Caribbean International returns to Asia in December 2007, bringing the active cruising experience to the region. The Vision-class ship, featuring the line’s signature rock-climbing wall and indoor glass walls providing exotic views of Asian landscapes, will offer a series of exciting cruises out of Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai, visiting exotic ports of call in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.

The number of passengers carried on the Spanish airline´s intercontinental routes between Europe and the Americas showed a 17.6 percent increase in the second quarter with respect to the same quarter last year. The load factor improved by 2.3 points in the first two quarters from 2005.This spike was strongest in Iberia´s new Business Plus, its upgraded long-haul business class, which showed an 8.5-point hike in seat occupancy levels.