Broadway sold a record 12 million tickets in the 2005-2006 season, a rise of 4.1 percent from the previous season, with more than half taken by tourists, according to statistics released last week. Reporting on New York´s theater results in the 12 months to May 28, the League of American Theaters and Producers said it was the first time the Broadway attendance figure had crossed the 12 million mark.

Google has partnered with the Earth Day Network (EDN) to launch the new Google Maps Summer of Green, an environmentally focused video and map guide to eco-tourism spots. The presentation features the top U.S. travel city destinations –New York, Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The maps enable users to discover green travel options by featuring guided virtual video tours of environmentally friendly destinations, including organic spas, hotels, restaurants, eco car rentals, and green family friendly activities such as nature museums and horseback riding outposts.

Tour operator Picasso Travel has named Virginia Chaves its new director of Global Tour Operations. In her new role, Chaves will oversee all of Picasso Travel´s tour and cruise products, including Nordique Tours, Picasso Cruises, Splendida Italia, and SwissMade Tours.

The Blacksburg school from the U.S. has established a center in the Caribbean where a Virginia Tech faculty can teach students and conduct research on biodiversity, environmental sustainability and hotel and tourism management. The Caribbean Center for Education and Research is in Punta Cana, on the eastern edge of the Dominican Republic.

UNESCO, the UN´s culture and science organization, offered last week to help assess and repair damage caused to World Heritage sites in Indonesia by an earthquake that left nearly 6,000 dead. “While first efforts focus on emergency relief to help the injured, the hungry and the homeless, UNESCO is preparing to provide expertise and share its experience in dealing with the damage caused to World Heritage sites affected by the earthquake,” its Director-General Koichiro Matsuura said.

The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources is working on a management plan for the Jaragua National Park around Bahia de las Aguilas, as reported by Minister Max Puig. According to Diario Libre, a local newspaper, the Ministry is banking on studies carried out by the Araucaria Project sponsored by the Spanish International Cooperation Agency to develop the plan.