Paris ranks as the world´s most important air connection point, according to last week´s edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, the study by Northwestern University researchers examined 3,883 communities with airports around the world and in doing so found key places to pay attention to during an outbreak of contagious diseases. Researchers based their ranking on a criterion called "centrality," which rates the shortest paths connecting any two cities that involve a transfer at a particular city.

Guatemalan officials are hoping that the new edition of the CBS reality show Survivor will draw more tourists to the spectacular Mayan ruins of the Peten jungle. "It is a TV show seen by 200 million people and we have the opportunity to show our archaeological riches," presidential tourism commissioner Willy Kaltschmitt was quoted as saying by new organizations.

A stretch of sand off the west coast of Florida near St. Petersburg is America´s best beach of 2005, according to a Florida scientist whose annual top 10 list has become a promotional tool for the tourism industry. Fort De Soto Park´s North Beach is a "natural jewel on the finger of a sun-drenched city," Dr. Stephen Leatherman, head of Florida International University´s Laboratory for Coastal Research, said on Wednesday.

The European Commission has announced plans for more aid to countries still struggling to recover from the effects of the Asian tsunami. The EU is releasing euros 350 million ($441.5 million) of community development funds for long-term projects in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The announcement comes as the credit card company Visa issued a new report that showed spending on travel tourism to the affected countries has slumped, after showing signs of recovery in February and March.

Arturo Peguero, president of the Dominican Free Trade Zone Association (ADZONA is the Spanish acronym), informed earlier this week that massive layoffs in the country´s free trade zones has amounted to 20,000 so far this year. Mr. Peguero cited soaring operational costs in terms of workforce, power supply and transportation are some of the main cause behind the furloughs, though he anticipated a number of actions are being taken to offset possible ripple effects.

French-born Pascal Lamy, former European Trade Commissioner , has been officially appointed new director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO) by the 148 member states gathered in Geneva this week. Mr. Lamy, who´s replacing outing Thai Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi, said in a press release he´s willing to work in the best interest of the organization´s developing nations and make that point the centerpiece of the world trade system. He´ll officially take office on September 1 for a four-year term.