The entire board of the island’s tourism promotions agency resigned Friday, leaving the country wide-eyed and O-mouthed even as Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett claimed the action was taken to give him a free hand in choosing new directors to move Jamaica’s tourism forward in light of the global financial crisis.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has announced it will manage a luxury hotel in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine - the company’s first in Eastern Europe. Fairmont Grand Hotel Kyiv adds to a growing collection in Europe, joining Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, Hamburg; Fairmont St. Andrews, Scotland; Fairmont Monte Carlo and London’s Savoy, reopening next year following an extensive restoration.

Priceline.com Inc. has become at least the second online travel company to get slapped with a fine from the U.S. federal government for violating the longstanding sanctions on Cuba.

Since Panama signed an agreement with cruise ships companies, which are members of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association in October 2000, the arrival of passengers to the Panamanian ports of Gatun, Colon 2000, Cristobal, Balboa, Fuerte Amador and Kuna Yala has increased, which confirm the status of the country as an established tourist destination.

Capella Hotels and Resorts appointed Julian Smaldoni as general manager of Capella Bahia Maroma, a luxury resort and residential community in Mexico’s Riviera Maya set to open in the spring 2009.

As many as 83 partners, including 62 hotels, have joined this year’s Budapest Winter Invitation campaign, to raise HUF 35 million (140,000 euros), which sum was complemented by the HNTO’s HUF 100 million (400,000 euros). The most important, concentrated winter campaign is forecast to generate 60,000 additional guest nights in the Hungarian capital.