The Florida-Dominican Business Development Group (FDBDG) will hold the First Dominican Fair on Tourism, Investment and Real Estate in an effort to increase business ties and further tourist investments. FDBDG President Pablo Diaz Ballester informed the event will take place on April 22 and 23 at a hotel in the city of Miami in order to promote tourism, banking, finances and real estate investments toward the Caribbean nation.

Brazil took advantage of this year’s International Tourism Fair in Berlin to promote its new tourist trademark, a motley logo that carries the blue of the sea, the yellow of the sun disc and beaches, the green of the forests and jungles, the white of its religious syncretism, and the red of the popular festivities. Tourism Minister Walfrido dos Mares Guia, who headed his country’s delegation to ITB 2005 in Germany, told news media there Brazil hopes to snare 5.8 million foreign visitors this year, up 20 percent from 2004. In the case of domestic travelers, that figure could rise to 8 million vacationers in 2005 .

Different brands of beer and coffee made in Cuba were some of the products the island nation presented at the International Food & Beverage Fair (IFE) held in London last week. Most presentations were made by foreign companies from Great Britain, Ireland and France that have joint ventures with Cuban enterprises and sell Cuban items in the U.K. and all across Europe.

The World Travel Organization (WTO) is boding good economic news for Latin America, with the regional travel industry benefiting as much from that bonanza as it did in 2004. WTO Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli, who attended the International Tourism Fair in Berlin this week, said the positive forecast for Latin America is the result of an economic rebound in a number of countries where the flow of foreign tourists grew in double digits last year.

A grand total of 10,409 exhibitors from 181 countries took part in the International Travel Exchange Fair in Berlin, the highest attendance numbers this event has ever logged. ITB 2005 presented the new Trends & Events segment that included ecotourism and travels for youngsters, among many other offers.

Aruba was well represented at the recently closed ITB 2005, one of the biggest and longest travel tradeshow in Europe that devotes 3 days for consumers and trade and the last 2 days just for trade. A record number of 10,409 exhibitors from 181 countries attended the event. The Minister of Tourism and Transportation was present as well as Myrna Jansen, Rafael Estrada, Humphrey Vrolijk, Rensley Zijlstra and Rita Morozow of the Aruba Tourism Authority.