Delta Air Lines has appointed Nicolas Ferri to the newly created position of vice president, Latin America and the Caribbean, effective Jan. 1, 2011. Ferri will report to Delta President Ed Bastian.

Two hours south of the southernmost Mexican border (Chetumal) lies an unbelievably diverse mixture of cultures, cuisines, geography and languages.  Belize is situated between Mexico on its north, Guatemala on its south and west and the Caribbean ocean on its east.  This geographic locale makes it a rich melting pot of ethnicities, life styles and an interesting blending of cultures to form an open and inviting arena to tourists, archaeologists, students, backpackers and expatriates from U.S., Europe, Canada and all over.

Virgin Atlantic Airways has appointed Simon Bradley as its new vice president of marketing, North America. Bradley continues his career in promoting travel to the U.K. and joins Virgin Atlantic from VisitBritain, the official U.K. tourism agency.

Officials at Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL) say the company’s board of directors had a “contractual right” to terminate former CEO Ian Brunton, according to multiple press reports. Brunton was fired in late November “in order to better serve the interests of the company’s newfound synergies” with Air Jamaica,” according to Om Lalla, a CAL attorney.

Carnival Cruise Lines and the Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Hospital announce a partnership for 2011. The year-long partnership will include several in-kind and monetary donations and fundraisers.

As part of its maiden voyage to The Bahamas on December 13, the ‘Allure of The Sea’ , Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, in partnership with ESPN will be hosting a 5K run through the streets of Paradise Island and historic down town Nassau. It is part of a pilot program to introduce -Marathon Cruises- as a new product and The Bahamas is part of the pilot program.

On Thursday, officials of Sunshine Insurance Marathon Bahamas Race Weekend and The Royal Bahamas Police Force discussed details of the event and its impact on the local tourism product. The Ministry of Tourism, The Ministry of Sports, and Kerzner International are also supporting the event.