Atlantis Events, Inc., the world´s largest company specializing in all-gay and lesbian cruises and resort vacations, announced that it has chartered the world´s largest passenger ship –the Royal Caribbean´s Freedom of the Seas- for an all-gay Caribbean cruise in January 2007. Atlantis charters entire cruise ships and all-inclusive resorts for the exclusive use of its gay and lesbian guests. Since 1991, Atlantis has hosted over 80,000 guests on more than 80 different cruise, resort and tour experiences.

Canada´s Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts Olga Ilich has announced five new Directors to Tourism B.C.´s Board of Directors. The new appointments include former Royal British Columbia Museum Director Bill Barkley, Intrawest Mountain Resorts COO David Brownlie, Hell´s Gate Airtram General Manager Debbie McKinney, Links Investments Principle Mike Smith and Walker Hospitality President Kevin Walker.

GOL, Brazil´s low-cost, low-fare airline, announced that it will increase the frequency of flights to Argentina, beginning this week. A new flight will be added to the Rosario route and will begin operating four times per week. Flights to Cordoba will increase from two flights per week to four flights per week. Flights to Buenos Aires will continue to operate daily.

Dominican Republic´s Environment Minister Max Puig stressed again while speaking to the press that impact analyses carried out in Bahia de las Aguilas indicate the area is environmentally fragile. Even an environmental expert from the World Tourism Organization who came to the country as a guest of the Ministry of Tourism to determine the possibility of construction in the area came to the same conclusion, that the area is extremely brittle from an ecological standpoint.

Some of France´s most stunning 17th century citadels and mountain forts, built by the military engineer Marshal Vauban, are vying to be listed as World Heritage sites, organizers said last week. If they are accepted, they would join some 812 sites already listed by the UN organization around the world including such wonders as the Giza pyramids in Egypt and the Great Wall of China.

Hotwire.com considers Latin America to be a “high-growth area”. Over the past two years, the company has focused on expanding its presence throughout the region, particularly in Mexico and the Caribbean. Going forward, Hotwire is planning to build upon our existing offerings in smaller, niche destinations such as St. Maarten, St. Lucia and Barbados.