A call has been made for the government of Grenada and the private sector to invest more money into the planning and marketing of the island carnival celebration. Held annually during the second weekend in August, the carnival celebration, according to recently appointed chairman of the Grenada Carnival Committee, accounts for almost one third of the island annual national income.

Amadeus is rolling out a new technology solution which will revolutionize the low cost airline market by providing comprehensive access for the first time, to sales through travel agents and corporate customers. Amadeus Ticketless Access enables up-to-the-minute fare and flight information from ticketless carriers to be displayed alongside those of full service airlines through the Global Distribution System (GDS).

Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa in Aruba celebrated this week the recertification for the Green Globe 21 Standards. Mr. Peter Hackett of AJA Registrars conducted the certification audit and was pleased to see continuous improvements and great enthusiasm with the Manchebo Team.

American Airlines reported a net loss of $92 million in the first quarter of 2006, as compared to a net loss of $162 million in the first quarter of 2005. First quarter 2005 results included a benefit of $69 million related to certain excise tax refunds. For the quarter, American´s passenger revenue per available seat mile was up 10.8 percent year over year.

Expedia, Inc., the world´s leading online travel company, announced earlier this week it has extended its partnership with Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. The new agreement builds on 10 years of association between the two companies. Under it, Expedia and Hyatt continue not only as distribution partners, but also as marketing partners.

The Emergency Disaster Managers of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) and its participating states met in Belize last week to review CDERA´s initiatives over the last year and consider work plans for 2006-2007. The occasion was the 16th meeting of the Board of Directors of CDERA that was held from April 19 to 21.