Officials launched a campaign Wednesday to promote so-called medical tourism in the Philippines in an effort to grab a slice of the multibillion-dollar industry. In a program to formally promote the archipelago as “islands of wellness,” Health Secretary Francisco Duke III said government agencies and private clinics and hospitals will strive to make the Philippines the “new hub of wellness and medical care in Asia.”

Spanish hotel chain´s RIU has just won one of Europe´s major tourism awards in Great Britain: the Travel Weekly Globe Award for the Best Leisure Hotel Chain. The prize was awarded during a ceremony at Governor House Hotel in London this week in front of more than 1,800 professionals from the tourism sector, including its top representatives.

FLYi Inc, parent of Independence Air, said it will cease its US airline operations this Thursday evening, less than two months after filing for bankruptcy protection and less than two years after its vaunted launch as a low-cost carrier. The company said in a statement that it is unable to stay solvent in the cash-strapped US aviation industry. “The financial pressures in the industry have prevailed. We have run out of time,” the company said.

Vance Johnston has been named vice president of Corporate Strategy for Royal Caribbean Cruises. Mr. Johnston will be responsible for leading the company´s strategic planning processes, corporate development activities and other major initiatives, and will report to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Luis Leon.

The Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) have created a dual degree program for students seeking a preeminent education in hospitality management and the culinary arts. Students who complete this intensive program will earn a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Hotel Administration and an Associate in Occupational Studies (A.O.S.) degree in Culinary Arts.

American tycoon and resort developer Donald Trump is offering $1 million as the grand prize for the top golf tournament in a regional tournament he hopes will be an annual event in the Caribbean island of St Vincent. The invitational only event for 100 golfers will be held in May to launch the Trump International Golf Club at Raffles Resort on Canouan, in the southern Grenadines.