Viking River Cruises released details of a $250 million fleet development program, which includes eight newbuilds and two comprehensive refurbishments over the next three years. Adding eight new vessels will bring the number of ships operated by the company to 26, an increase in capacity of more than 40 percent.

Carlson, a privately held, global hospitality and travel company, announced that it has acquired additional shares of The Rezidor Hotel Group AB, listed on the OMX Nordic Exchange in Stockholm. The acquisition brings Carlson’s total ownership of outstanding shares in Rezidor to 50.1 percent.

A first-of-its-kind poll of business travelers from four major economies commissioned by Marriott Hotels & Resorts indicates that 2010 may be shaping up as a year of transition from economic pessimism to greater confidence. But the survey also found that Chinese businesspeople are more than twice as optimistic about their national economy and their jobs as Americans and Europeans, according to the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.

The three brands of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. -- Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International -- have created a new “Best Price Guarantee” program to replace the former price protection plan. With the new guarantee, agents and clients who find a lower cruise fare advertised by the brands within 48 hours of booking the same cruise will get an onboard credit in the amount of 110 percent of the difference between the two fares.

Embarking on a new strategy as a pure hotel company, French lodging giant Accor said it is now focused on developing its brand portfolio for guests, its business as an operator and a provider of hotel services, the value of its assets through sales of hotel properties, and an ambitious plan built mainly around management contracts and franchise agreements, not wholly owned hotels. As part of that plan, Accor will sell 450 or its 1,600 hotels, though most of these will be operated under management contracts.

The Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) reported total sales of $7.2 billion for April, a 24.62 percent gain over the same period of 2009. Year-to-date sales were $26.9 billion, a 20.6 percent gain over last year.