Following the groundbreaking last month of a headquarter hotel to accommodate delegates of the new Puerto Rico Convention Center, the Puerto Rico Convention Center District Authority inaugurated the District’s urban park and fountain with a public celebration that took place on September 17, 2006. A major element of the Puerto Rico Convention Center District, the new District Park includes promenades and walkways, fountains, play areas and other elements that aim to provide a gathering place for conventioneers, visitors and the community within the 113-acre waterfront development.

The Sacred City of Caral, the oldest city in the Americas that has changed the history of Peru and the world since its discovery in 1994, is now open as a prime destination and archeological treasure for tourists who visit Lima. As a result of the work done by the Proyecto Especial Arqueólogico Caral-Supe (Caral- Supe Special Archeological Project), the Sacred City of Caral is now open for tourists and will continue to undergo a series of restorations that will provide an added value to the existing and future tourist circuits in the region.

Less than 6 months after WTTC’s Global Travel & Tourism Summit held in Washington DC, where great debate was had on the need to open minds to the potential of the Travel & Tourism industry and its shifting geographical landscape, THE World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and its U.S. Members are determined to call on U.S. Government to recognize the state of the industry. Over the past 15 years the US national economy has lost an average of $20 billion a year due to the declining status.

ATA recently announced the appointment of Carl Humprey Vrolijk as the Area Director for its European offices based in The Netherlands. Humphrey will replace Rafael Estrada, who is retiring after 10 years of dedicated service to ATA’s European office. As Area Director, Mr. Vrolijk will oversee the continued development of Aruba as a top vacation destination in the European market.

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) and the Canadian Alliance of Business Travel lauded provisions of the 2007 Homeland Security spending bill related to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). The WHTI provisions of the bill, which passed both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, will keep the United States moving toward better border security while moving away from WHTI deadlines that would have jeopardized economic security for the nation and its Western Hemisphere neighbors.

Reaction was swift to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative passed by Congress September 29, which gave travelers entering the U.S. by land and sea until June 2009 to procure a valid passport. The U.S. Congress, however, remained silent on the air portion section of the WHTI, so the implementation date of January 8, 2007 remains in place requiring a passport for all travelers returning to the U.S. by air.