The U.S. Travel Association reported that employment in the travel industry in May 2011 was down 3,000, the first monthly decline in six months. Nevertheless, over the past year travel jobs actually increased by 107,200, which accounted for 12.3 percent of the 873,000 U.S. jobs added overall during this period.

Further to the announcement of TUI Travel PLC’s interim results on 10 May 2011 which stated that TUI Travel intended to acquire the operating companies that lease and manage the Magic Life clubs, TUI Travel is pleased to announce that it has reached agreement with TUI AG and its subsidiary undertaking, Magic Life GMBH & Co KG, for the Group to acquire six separate operating companies through which Magic Life leases and manages 13 holiday clubs in Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt, Greece and Spain.

Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Philip Anschutz's Greenwood Village-based tourism business, says it has completed the purchase of Windstar Cruises. The acquisition follows the U.S. Bankruptcy Court 's recent approval of sale of the assets of Ambassadors International Inc., which filed for Chapter 11 reorganization on April 1.

The Caribbean/Mexico hotel development pipeline comprises 134 hotels totaling 20,296 rooms, according to the April 2011 STR Construction Pipeline Report. “The Caribbean/Mexico region has 37 projects under construction that are expected to open by year-end 2011,” said Lana Yoshii, vice president of content management at STR.

Jamaica commissioned a U.K.-based firm to undertake an economic impact study of the island’s tourism industry.

Sol Meliá announced results for the first quarter of 2011 during which the company earned 4.6 million euros compared to a profit of 1 million euros in the same period in 2010, on revenue of 293.7 million euros, compared with 258.5 million euros in the first quarter last year, a revenue increase of 13.6 percent.