The 110,000-ton Carnival Glory will become Port Canaveral, Fla.´s newest and largest cruise ship when it launches year-round seven-day Caribbean service from that port July 19.

The 2,974-passenger SuperLiner replaces the 2,124-passenger Carnival Pride, representing a 40 percent capacity increase on this route, which encompasses alternating eastern and western Caribbean sailings departing every Saturday. Eastern Caribbean cruises call at Nassau, St. Thomas/St.

In an effort to stimulate travel to the Caribbean, American Express has created a program for luxury hotels called "Extraordinary Caribbean Escapes." The program is effective now through December 2003, and offers exclusive benefits to card members and hotel partners.

"The goal of this promotion is to support luxury hotel partners in the Caribbean by driving incremental bookings from our affluent card members," explains Glenn Harris, Head of Caribbean Marketing for American Express Global Establishment Services.

Following $16 million worth of investment, the 112-room Rincon of the Seas Grand Caribbean Hotel is now the biggest lodging facility of this coastal municipality of western Puerto Rico.

Owned by H.R. Inc. and with fares ranging from $225 to $475 a night, the brand-new resort will target deep-pocket guests, corporate people and leisure travelers.

More than 200,000 Spanish travelers will choose cruise liners to spend their vacations in 2004, a tourist choice that chips in revenues for 90 million euros, reckons Antonio Wanguemert, president of cruise tour operator Latitud 4. Earnings worldwide reach more than 12 billion euros, according to Hosteltur, a specialized publication.

Amadeus Global Travel Distribution, the world’s number-one reservation dealer (GDS) and technology provider for the travel industry, is trumpeting the launch of its brand-new Amadeus Learning City in 30 countries scattered around the five continents.

Through the implementation of this system, travel agents interested in enhancing their knowledge of the Amadeus Network’s products and operations –and bound to jack up their own output levels- can now choose between traditional in-school training or a click on the company’s interactive website.

Air France is currently testing a new fingerprint-based biometrics technique with passengers leaving for Tel Aviv at the gateway of the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris. The voluntary experiment’s goal is to make sure that an Air France customer who dispatched a suitcase is the same passenger boarding the plane later on.