A research study conducted by Stratfor Agency laid bare a new modus operandi to rob foreign tourists and businesspeople arriving at the Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia. “Many foreigners are persuaded to hop into gypsy taxis only to be mugged on their way to Caracas,” said Alvaro Montenegro, chairman of Venezuela’s Higher Tourism Council. A month ago, the Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce warned its associates on “sophisticated gangs of wrongdoers operating at the airport.” The Chamber denounced in a press release that execs from transnational companies coming to the country were being dogged to their residences and then intercepted, kidnapped or robbed.

Kempinski Hotels & Resorts, the oldest deluxe-hotel chain in Europe, is gearing up its sales and marketing expansion through the creation of a GSA to cover the Spanish and Portuguese markets. The new agency will be headed by Ana Reino, a dry-behind-the-ears marketer in both countries. Mrs. Reino will be charged with Kempinski’s representation in all sectors of the market ranging from corporate and MICE to individual and groups. With over 30 state-of-the-art and luxurious hotels and beach resorts under its belt all around the world, the Kempinski Group has already opened offices in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, the Middle East, Latin America, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

A brand-new airline affiliated to Aerolineas Argentinas will get cracking in Chile in the third quarter of 2003, announced Julio Scaramella, a spokesman for the company’s executive committee.

The Chilean operation is part of a much larger project carried out by Spanish group Air Comet (AC), the same operator that took over the carrier in late 2001. The plan also envisions the beginning of operations in Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay on that same dateline.

Central America: So Small, So Big,” is the spanking-new trademark the region is advertising its tourist attractions with around the world. Those were the remarks of Mercedes Melendez de Mena, tourism director for the General Secretary Office of the Central American Integration System and tourism secretary at the Council of Tourism Ministers.

The bludgeoning promotional blitz hinges on a management plan that includes regulations for communication materials and promotional items to be used in different specialized tradeshows.

AeroMexico, Mexico´s largest airline, inaugurated an innovative new Premier Lobby at Mexico City International Airport for Clase Premier passengers, Platinum and Gold Club Premier members, and SkyTeam Elite members. In addition, the airline has finished renovating its ticket counters in the domestic terminal and has started construction at the international terminal.

The projects, which cost $2.1 million and took four months to complete, are part of AeroMexico´s

The Catalonian Association of Tourism Journalists and Writers (ACPETUR) granted one of its six Ali-Bey 2001 awards to Festival Cruises for an ad campaign entitled The Language of Dreams developed by promotional agency “210.” The prize recognizes Festival’s strategy toward quality and excellence in the world of cruise lines, a plan that edges them closer to the public and makes passengers’ dreams come true.