The prodigious Caribbean nature has turned out to be a valuable source of adventures and new discoveries, a reason why ecotourism and its different modalities have claimed a top spot of their own in the daily going of the region’s travel industry. A paradise for endemism, natural beauties and biodiversity as far as flora and wildlife are concerned are some of the choices the Caribbean has to offer, other than the more traditional sun-and-sand circuits. Birds, famous geographical features, one-and-only rocky formations, beaches of powder-thin sands and crystal-clear waters, peerlessly beautiful sea bottoms good enough to make a scuba diver’s day and bright sunshine all year round are things the region has always offered in an array of unforgettable experiences.

The Fourth Mexican Tourism Investment Marketplace will take place in Mexico City’s Camino Real Hotel on September 8 and 9 this year, sponsored by the National Tourism Promotion Fund (FONATUR). The event’s schedule includes a blue-ribbon panel on the challenges for the hotel industry, and lectures to weigh alternatives to financing, investment opportunities and travel in the Aztec nation.

Sponsored by the World Tourism Organization (WTO), the Universal Cultural Forum of Barcelona 2004 wrapped up a debate entitled Tourism, Cultural Diversity and Sustainable Development. Planned by the Institute of Responsible Tourism, the debate featured the participation of the World Tourism Organization, an entity that played a major role in the organization of the event and the selection of paper works.

There are countless rationales that make Rio de Janeiro a well-known city worldwide, and perhaps the carnival is the biggest of all those reasons. Now Rio’s famous carnivals could be running all year round according to a plan that local authorities still have in the offing. The Samba City, a 93,000-square-meter compound housing the workshops of some fourteen samba schools, will open in September. Those same schools will also hold parades and shows in addition to offering visitors a closer look at the preparations of the world’s best-known street celebration.

The Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) agreed to hold the 2005 Caribbean Marketplace in Jamaica’s Half Moon Montego Bay Resort from January 5 to 11 next year. This is the first time since 1985 that Jamaica will play host to the region’s major business gathering. “The designation of the host country is generating great expectations among purchasers and suppliers from the industry that were anticipating their return to Jamaica after nearly twenty years,” said Alec Sanguinetti, director-general and CEO of the Caribbean Hotel Association.

The University of Commercial Sciences, under the auspices of the Pan American Confederation of Hotels, Gastronomy and Tourism, will hold the Tenth Congress on Tourism and Hotels August 19 and 20 in Managua under a slogan reading "Tourism: Challenges of Today and Tomorrow." The event will gather over 400 attendants likened to the travel industry in the Central American region, as well as a number of high-profile institutions such as colleges, hotels, restaurants, tour operators, travel agencies, airlines, investors, tourism chambers and many others.