Travelport said it would sell GTA, its wholesale business, to Kuoni, a major global leisure travel company, for $720 million. Travelport said that sale is part of its plan to maximize the potential of its core business.

Funjet Vacations announced today that statistics released by the Mexico Tourism Board show a surge in travel from Texas to the country’s top beach destinations and resort areas. Despite a continued stream of negative media coverage, over 253,000 travelers visited Mexico from Texas in December and 210,000 in January compared to 224,000 and 196,000 in the previous year, respectively.

Michael Baker will never forget the last night of his recent vacation in St. Lucia. He recalls the sunset as the best yet of his trip, but what happened next may haunt him for the rest of his life.

Playa Hotels & Resorts named Omar Palacios executive vice president and chief financial officer. In his new position, Palacios will work closely with Bruce Wardinski, the company’s chairman and CEO, to plan and develop Playa Hotels & Resorts’ financial infrastructure and position the company for an initial public offering “in the foreseeable future,” the company said.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) will host the 12th Annual Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC-12) April 3 -6, 2011 in Bermuda. The theme for this year’s conference is “Keeping the Right Balance: Rising Above the Numbers” which addresses a variety of crucial issues such as understanding the next generation of experiential travelers and developing strategies to combine profitability and sustainability in the midst of the new green economy.

Travelers heading to Cancun for spring break this year, will be happy to hear the airport is tops in its region. Cancun International Airport was recently named the best airport in Latin America and the Caribbean in the Airports Council International’s 2010 Airport Service Quality Awards.