The Mexican government said last week that an ongoing political standoff poses no threat to tourists visiting the picturesque southern city of Oaxaca, dismissing a travel advisory issued by the U.S. Embassy. “We continue inviting tourists from all over the world to visit Mexico, which offers all the security conditions for tourist activity,” presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar told reporters at his daily briefing.

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller promised last week a temporary, special employment program to clean up major urban areas and rural towns in preparation for next year’s Cricket World Cup 2007 at a cost of $635.8 million. She said the program, which is set to begin next month, is also aimed at unemployment relief and poverty alleviation by creating 12,000 temporary jobs for the next six months, but could be extended after an initial review.

The National Hotel and Restaurant Owners Association in the Dominican Republic (ASONAHORES) presented new hotel managers for Santo Domingo and handed out awards to winners of the best booth in the recently held 20th Commercial Expo. The new managers –presented by ASONAHORES Susana Villanueva- are Francisco Sabugal Lopez for the Hispaniola Hotel, Cedric Reichling for Hotel Quality, Hector Concari for the Hilton Hotel, and Olmeda Herrera for InterContinental V Centenario Hotel.

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) and the Canadian Alliance of Business Travel praised the announcement made by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Transport Canada respectively that it will loosen the ban on liquids and gels in carryon luggage. This announcement indicated that travelers may now be allowed to pass through Canadian airport security checkpoints with “liquids, gels and aerosols if the items are packaged in containers with a capacity of 90 ml / 90 grams (3 oz.) or less, and that the containers fit comfortably in one clear, closed and re-sealable plastic bag with a capacity of no more than 1 liter (1 quart). One bag per passenger will be permitted.”

BWIA, which announced it will shut down operations as of December 31, already has moved to cut some services and will discontinue its roundtrip, thrice-weekly Washington-Trinidad service, effective October 10. “This decision was taken after analysis of the route confirmed a trend of low passenger volume vs. the overall cost of operating the services, resulting in significant financial losses,” said Peter Davies, BWIA’s CEO.

The Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S.A. de C.V. (ASUR is the Spanish acronym) announced it has sought authorization from the federal government of Mexico, through the Secretary of Communications and Transportation (SCT), to build and operate an airport in the Mayan Riviera. ASUR has not so far received a reply from the SCT and there is no assurance that Mexican federal authorities will respond favorably to this request.