Total sales through the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) rose 5 percent in November to $4.9 billion, up from 4.7 billion last November. ARC said this is the largest increase seen in 12 months.
Average sales per agency location jumped by 20 percent to $47,157. The number of actual transactions also rose for the first time in a year, up 3 percent.
MasterCard, the megabuck credit card company, amassed a 25.4 percent increase in the first three quarters of 2003 in terms of gross dollars invoiced (GDV) all around Latin America and the Caribbean Basin.
These outcomes lay bare a steady growing trend that ‘s been unchanged since last year regardless of a bleak world economy.
Panama’s hospitality industry has spawned $750 million so far this year for a solid 10.5 percent growth, according to official statistics. This increase accounts for the country’s biggest jump over the last decade as efforts to turn the travel industry into one of Panama’s top hard-currency makers are clearly paying off.
Back in 2002, the tourist sector churned out $679 million worth of earnings. “Last year’s figures are going to be outnumbered by a long shot,” said Liriola Pitti, general manageress of the Panamanian Tourism Institute.
Investments flow into Trinidad-Sancti Spiritus, a historical and cultural destination in central Cuba
The Trinidad-Sancti Spiritus destination, in central Cuba, will benefit from a program of investments aimed at enlarging the region´s tourist infrastructure. Local tourist authorities pointed out that over 18 million dollars would be invested with that purpose. The project includes 300 new rooms after the Canada Iberostar Hotel is built.
The lodging offerings of Santo Domingo, the Dominican capital, will get enhanced shortly with the oncoming opening of two establishments that will add 250 more rooms in all.
The new hotels are the Quality Real Airport Santo Domingo and the Courtyard Hotel. Both resorts will target businesspeople from the United States.
The Quality Real Airport is owned by Choice International Hotel, while the Courtyard will be run by Marriott Co.
The Mexican leisure industry has already surpassed all expectations for this year, said Rodolfo Elizondo, the Aztec nation’s Tourism Secretary. In the first nine months of 2003, Mexico has raked in little more than $7 billion for a walloping 7.1 percent increase compared to the same span of time the year before.
This upturn trend is putting Mexico in a sitting-pretty position for cracking the $9 billion plateau for the first time in the history of its tourist sector.