Jamaica benefited from a nearly double-digit increase in cruise ship arrivals during the 2010-11 winter season, the country’s tourism minister announced April 20. An additional 34,954 vacationers arrived in Jamaica via cruise ship during the country’s high tourist season, which ended April 15. The total number of cruise ship arrivals -- 398,772 -- represents a 9.6 percent increase over the same period in 2009-10.
It is now so much easier to get questions about vacationing in Saint Lucia answered by trained professionals in the country. A new call center on the island opened by the Saint Lucia Tourist Board allows prospective visitors in North America to access Saint Lucia information toll-free with specialists based on the Eastern Caribbean island nation.
Hotwire.com, a leading discount travel site, announced the results of the April 2011 Hotwire Hotel Rate Report. The report features the top five cities in North America where hotel rates have dropped the most and the top five cities where rates have experienced the biggest price increases.
Virtuoso announced that industry veteran and former Crystal Cruises VP Bill Smith will be joining the organization as its new vice president of cruise sales & exclusive product as of May 9. Smith will take responsibility for the luxury agent consortium’s preferred supplier relationships with more than 20 cruise lines, as well as the network’s flagship cruise program, Voyager Club. In his new role, Smith will oversee both teams from Virtuoso’s office in Seattle.
The Oasis Palm Beach, an all-inclusive family resort and spa reopened this week in Cancun. From now through June 30, 2011, the beachfront resort is offering a special reopening rate of $73 per person, per night, inclusive of taxes and gratuities, for a double room. What makes this even more affordable for families is the Kids Stay and Eat Free program.
International Game Technology, a global leader in creating the major games that players love and the systems that improve the player experience, announced today that the Enjoy Group has signed an agreement to install IGT’s industry-leading sbX™ server-based experience applications and 50 IGT games at the Enjoy Santiago’s Casino Rinconada de Los Andes, Chile.