Financial analyst John Jackson has joined the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) in expressing disappointment at the government’s decision to impose a further tax on the tourism industry. Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips announced that the government will impose an accommodation tax come September 1.

Hotel prices are notorious for increasing ahead of international sporting events, but in London the average price has actually decreased by almost $20 a night. A London hotel room during the Olympic Games in July and August costs on average $325, an increase of 93 percent to the previous year.

Debt-laden tour operator Thomas Cook has named travel industry outsider Harriet Green from British electrical components distributor Premier Farnell as chief executive to help turn it around.

Officials in the Turks and Caicos Islands are currently investigating and attempting to contain an outbreak of sickness in resorts on the island of Providenciales. So far the source of the diarrhea and vomiting in some resorts has not yet been identified but samples have been sent to the US for testing.

Mexico is relying on visitors from countries such as Russia and Brazil to boost its tourism numbers this year after the drug war plaguing the country deterred US visitors, its largest source of tourists. The number of international tourists arriving on flights is expected to rise between 9 and 10 percent this year.

A large majority of travelers would rather mobile phone use were not permitted on planes, a new survey from flight comparison site Skyscanner has revealed. A surprisingly high proportion of people, 86 percent, said it would be 'annoying to have to listen to other people's talks.