Dominica has welcomed its newest tour operator in the form of Jungle Trekking Adventures and Safaris Inc. (JTAS). JTAS owner Daria Eugene has developed The JTAS Experience, a brand offering seven fun-packed land tours with half-day and full-day options ranging from easy experience levels for families with children to medium difficulty levels for the more outgoing.

Foreign visitor arrivals in South Korea surpassed six million trekkers last year, a new record high in the history of the country´s inbound tourism. According to local media, the new record was set on the last day of the year with the six millionth foreigner, a Chinese businessman, greeted at the Seoul International Airport with a commemoration plaque, as well as free airline tickets and a hotel voucher given by the Korean National Tourism Organization (KNTO).

Marriott International reported that it doled out $177 million in travel agent commissions last year, a company record. According to Fred Miller, Marriott´s vice president global sales, “2005 was a year of growth for us in the travel agent community.”

The Delta Queen Steamboat Co. said the American Queen´s 2006 schedule will be cancelled “due to conditions in New Orleans and along the lower Mississippi River system.” The vessel has been privately chartered through January, and possibly beyond that time, according to Delta Queen President Bruce Nierenberg. It currently is housing refinery workers in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, Nierenberg said. The ship is scheduled to return to service in 2007.

Carlson Managed Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Francis Purvey as director of sales and marketing for both Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino and Radisson St. Martin Resort & Spa, slated to open December 2006. In this position, he is responsible for all domestic and international sales and marketing initiatives for the resorts, supervising a staff of 11 in Fort Lauderdale, Aruba and St. Martin, and promoting both Radisson flagship properties to the leisure, group and incentive markets.

Bucuti Beach Resort and Nhora Quintero of LQ Atelier Interiors announced last week that Bucuti Beach Resort design garnered the 2004 Hospitality Project Design Forum Award from the recent International Interior Design Association Florida Chapter at the 8th Annual Forum Awards that took place in Tampa, Florida. “The challenge was to create an unforgettable honeymoon experience, representing the modern style of today with classic undertones” states Nhora Quintero, principal of LQ Atelier Interiors.