Sandals & Beaches Resorts is appointing Tony Cowles as Managing Director, UK & Europe, effective 1 July. Tony succeeds Bobby Stewart who has held the position for five years and played an integral part in the company´s development within the UK market during this time.

Peruvian governmental and tourism authorities announced earlier this week they have declared Sierra del Divisor to be a protected area. Sierra del Divisor lies in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon region, located in Loreto and Ucayali, on the border with Brazil.

Crystal Cruises will institute a daily fuel surcharge of $5 per person on all 2007 voyages, effective July 17, the company said earlier this week in a press release. While the company cited a substantial increase in fuel prices since announcing its 2007 cruise fares, Crystal said that there would be no change to the current daily fuel surcharge of $4 per person that is currently in effect for all 2006 voyages.

Caribbean tourism officials are pushing for an additional extension to the implementation date of the United States Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). The WHTI, which is due to take effect on January 1 next year, will make it mandatory for all Americans returning to the United States from the Caribbean and other countries in the Western Hemisphere to have a passport to enter the country.

Taiwan will grant $15 million and a $10 million soft loan to aid in the construction of an international airport in St. Vincent, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves announced last week. Taipei also granted $10 million to finance the Youth Empowerment Service (YES) Program and the construction of additional resource centers in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Amadeus and Terminal A, Spain´s fourth largest online travel agency, report on a year of successful technology partnership. Amadeus will support Terminal A´s ambitious international expansion plans. Since the beginning of the year, Terminal A has doubled its overall bookings, during which time the Spanish online travel agency market grew by only 8 percent, according to Amadeus estimates. The online travel agency is now the fourth largest in Spain and has aggressive expansion plans.