The Panama Tourism Institute (IPAT) will step up promotional efforts, PR contacts and marketing strategies in 2005 in order to make its travel destinations be top choices for the European market. The advertisement blitz –scheduled to get cracking in early January- will crank up in Catalonia with a view to bring in investment cash and tourists from that Spanish region, as well as to secure the Madrid-Panama City-Madrid roundtrip connection provided by Iberia and Air Madrid.

A cocktail party at the Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino marked the conclusion of a successful year for the Aruba Tourism Authority and its numerous partners here. "Aruba had no off season this year," said the ATA Director Myrna Jansen as she addressed hoteliers, restaurateurs, tour operators, wedding coordinators in short all island movers and shakers who contributed their energy and drive toward the creation of a successful tourism destination.

Aviation authorities from Chile and Argentina have started negotiations in the face of a possible bilateral opening of their airspace. According to Javier Etcheverry, Minister of Trans-Andean Public Works and Transportation, a major announcement following a summit meeting between Argentine President Nestor Kirchner and his Chilean counterpart Ricardo Lago in March will likely be made.

TACA Airlines has just signed a contract to purchase 26 Airbus aircraft with a delivery deadline expiring in the year 2009. The agreement will allow TACA to count on five A319, sixteen A320 and five A321 planes in the near future. With that new fleet in place, TACA will be the first carrier in the Caribbean region to cover its routes with these huge 197-seat jetliners.

The Grenada Board of Tourism referred to Tuesday December 21 as the most productive day for Grenada’s cruise tourism industry, since the passage of Hurricane Ivan on September 7, 2004. Five ships arrived in Grenada, with two, the Norwegian Spirit and Braemer, docking at the newly opened, $24 million cruise ship facility on Melville Street, St. George’s.

AVIANCA´s top shareholder, Bolivian-Brazilian entrepreneur German Efromovich, announced this week his intention of turning the Colombian carrier into the number-one air company in Latin America. AVIANCA, that walked out of Chapter 11 recently, will be renamed Aerovias del Continente Americano (ACA) sometime in the first half of 2005, Mr. Efromovich told news organizations this weekend.