United States Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Roy Austin, said the series of travel advisories by the U.S. State Department, which have been issued to American citizens traveling to Trinidad and Tobago, were not meant to alarm the wider population. Dr. Austin said the warnings were simply reminders to US citizens and Embassy officials of certain dangers that could occur. He added that these were not for the media to make a story.

ETM Travel Group, a Westport, Connecticut-based tour operator of trips to Ireland, Britain, Europe and Australia, ceased operations, a source close to the company´s front office told Caribbean News Digital. The company´s president, John Murray, said ETM was doing its best to accommodate customers who are currently in transit. ETM was formerly a member of the U.S. Tour Operators Association, but withdrew from that organization on September 8, 2003.

Royal Jordanian agreed to join Oneworld, the airline alliance headlined by American and British Airways. The carrier said it is the first Arab and Middle Eastern airline to join any of the major airline alliances; it´s also Oneworld´s first new member in five years. Full membership is expected to be implemented late next year. Other Oneworld members include Aer Lingus, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Lan and Qantas.

Argentina officially complained to Britain about a Foreign Office warning to British tourists about the dangers of visiting Argentina at the time of the Summit of the Americas. But even as Argentine ambassador to London Federico Mirré admitted “disagreement” between the two countries he also tried to play down the situation.

VisitBritain launches a new online service that helps international visitors compare the price of flights to British airports at this year´s World Travel Market in London. The new flights engine on www.visitbritain.com makes it even easier for potential visitors to plan their trip and drives bookings to individual airline websites. At present 24 airlines are participating in the service including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and bmi and, through agreements with consolidators such as Opodo and Orbitz, it will provide details of flights from over 500 airlines.

The second IMEX annual survey into trends in the association meetings market reveals that meetings organized by associations are experiencing substantial growth. A more commercial mindset leading to better cost controls and enhanced marketing are two of the driving factors behind the rise. IMEX canvassed the views of over 100 association executives in 13 countries for the survey. The valuable results will be used to shape the exhibition´s plans and educational content for its next Association Day, which takes place on May 29 in Frankfurt. It is expected to attract attendance from more than 250 association planners from around the world.