Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. named Dominic Paul its new vice president and managing director for the U.K. and Ireland. Currently chief operating officer at Heathrow’s second-biggest airline, bmi, Paul will join RCCL in September.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon is waging a public relations campaign to improve his country’s image in the eyes of tourists and foreign investors as an increasingly violent drug war threatens to strangle its economy.

One of the world’s top sources for travel tips and advice has placed the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia among its 10 best destinations. The TripAdvisor 2010 Travelers’ Choice Best Destination Awards put Saint Lucia in the Top 10 Destinations in the Caribbean & Mexico region for two categories: Relaxation & Spa as well as Romance.

Paloma Notario, former director general of Turespaña, the Institute of Tourism Promotion within the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade of Spain, has been named director of the Tourist Office of Spain in New York.

NH Hotels gathered the company’s largest suppliers at the II International Edition of the NH Sustainable Club in Berlin where they discussed and unleashed their solutions in eco-design.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects the airline industry to return to profitability this year, projecting a $2.5 billion net profit in 2010. But while the industry in totality is expected to return to profitability after one of its worst years in history, Europe remains the one region that will continue operating at a loss, with expected losses of $2.8 billion, according to IATA, making the new German air tax one more factor affecting the revival of the industry.