The 4th BIOTUR 2006 Meeting on Biodiversity and Tourism, to commemorate the first report on Cuban nature by Christopher Columbus, 514 years ago, will be held from October 26 to 28. The Organizing Committee reported that 30 specialists from national parks in Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Spain and Cuba, among them ecologists, historians and naturalists, have been interested in participating.

The agenda of the most recent meeting of the ITB Berlin Supervisory Board included a look back at the ITB Berlin 2006, an evaluation of exhibitor, trade visitor and visitor polls, an assessment of the impact of the new show dates, and future developments regarding the ITB Berlin. The Supervisory Board noted that the ITB Berlin had lived up to its expectations as a provider of economic stimulus, and that it had built on its standing as the world´s leading show.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and its Executive Committee Members announced that Lisbon, Portugal would be the host of the 7th Global Travel & Tourism Summit, taking place from May 10 to 12, 2007. Following the Summit in New Delhi, India in 2005, this year´s event was held for the first time in Washington DC and a large number of senior officials from the U.S. government including Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, and Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released international traffic data for May 2006 showing 7 percent growth in passenger demand and 5.1 percent growth for freight over the same period in 2005. Load factor for May achieved an average of 73.6 percent. “Strong economies are supporting strong demand growth for both freight and passenger traffic. This positive demand environment is helping the global airline industry to offset some of the sharp increase in jet fuel prices. And it is helping airlines boost revenues by an average of 10 percent over the past three years,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA´s Director General and CEO.

ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 Inc. Managing Director & CEO, Chris Dehring, applauded the security and immigration initiatives agreed to by the Prime Ministers of CARICOM for next year´s ICC Cricket World Cup. This includes a decision to officially designate the nine Host Venues plus Dominica as “one domestic space” from January to May 2007, eliminating the need for persons to be processed through immigrations and customs during the period.

A new initiative for improved European and Chinese relations in the tourism sector has been launched with the support of VisitBritain, Visit London, CBBC, WTTC, and the Chinese tourism authorities. “China - The Future of Travel” is the first pan-industry conference on bilateral tourism relations between China and Europe.