Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced a long term agreement with S.C. Sigma Hotels S.r.l. to manage the first international hotel brand in Cluj, Romania –the Sheraton Cluj Hotel and The Residences at Sheraton Cluj.

With a $14 million investment, the 28,000 square foot water park features exciting rides including the Dragon Revenge, a dual slide; and the Buccaneer Tower, a tube tower with slides for two and four rides.

The Amanyara in Turks and Caicos opened a new Serenity Villa. The new villa will be home to massages, scrubs, wraps and beauty treatments, along with yoga and Pilates classes.

Bermuda’s tourism figures are falling at a greater rate than almost every Caribbean island, with only volcano-ravaged Montserrat reporting a worse decline, according to a report out this week, writes Clare O’Connor.

The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) is calling on President-elect Obama to permit Americans to travel to Cuba. According to a statement issued Tuesday afternoon by ASTA, “…ASTA believes that Americans would best be served by an elimination of current restrictions on travel to Cuba.”

Four percent in tourist arrivals is not much of an increase given how competitive the current global travel and tourism market is, especially with the ongoing global economic downturn. But, for Slovenia, the 4 percent increase is proof that its tourism industry is heading towards greater heights.