Online travel services company Expedia Inc. is set to tap the corporate bond market for the first time this week. Last week, the company had announced that it plans to privately offer up to $800 million of senior unsecured notes guaranteed by certain of its subsidiaries.

People working in the professional services sector in Commonwealth Caribbean countries will get an opportunity to enhance their ability to increase trade in professional services when the “Strategic Program for the Promotion of Professional Services” Project is implemented in Dominica. The Project, coordinated and funded by the Commonwealth Secretariat in collaboration with the Barbados-based Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export), was unveiled at the Garraway Hotel in Roseau on July 14.

St Kitts and Nevis´ Prime Minister Denzil Douglas said the $16 million expansion now taking place at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport is another step in preparing the twin-island Federation to “to welcome the rest of the world.” Mr. Douglas, who is also Minister of Tourism and Finance, was at the time making brief remarks at a ceremony at which a $14 million loan agreement was signed between the Government of St Kitts and Nevis and the Export-Import Bank of the Republic of China. The St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank is also financing the project.

Digicel, the fastest growing mobile provider in the Caribbean, predicts a growing market for mobile content in the region as penetration of cutting-edge handsets continues to increase among its customers. The company notes that sports content is a key area that taps a cultural common ground throughout a diverse group of countries in the pan-Caribbean region.

Air Canada reported a system load factor of 83.5 percent in June 2006. The mainline carrier flew 1.7 percent more revenue passenger miles (RPM) in June 2006 than in June 2005, according to preliminary traffic figures. Overall, capacity decreased by 0.9 percent, resulting in a load factor of 83.5 percent, compared to 81.3 percent in June 2005; an increase of 2.2 percentage points.

FirstCaribbean is investing $9 million in building a new state-of-the-art Regional Business Center in Barbados. This new building will house regional Operations, IT and Cards teams serving the Bank´s Pan-Caribbean footprint from their location in Barbados. Construction of the new Business Centre has already begun and the new building is located close to the Bank´s Regional Head Office at Warrens, Barbados.