The overall outcomes of world tourism have definitely improved over the last four months. However, the WTO World Travel Gauge notes that even though demand for many destinations is pointing to a straightforward rebound, a longer time is needed to get over the damage caused by the war in Iraq and the severe and acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

Following a unanimous vote that now turns the World Tourism Organization into a UN specialized institution, secretary-general Francesco Frangialli said during the course of the recently concluded WTO Annual General Assembly, “We can be twice as much pleased with the event’s results, even when there’s still one major obstacle to clear.”

High on the list of Cuba’s economic sectors that have been hit hard by the U.S. 40-plus-year-old trade embargo is commercial aviation, a major hard-currency maker that hinges heavily on tourism and plays a hands-on role in keeping Washington’s isolationist efforts at bay.

Airline ticket costs are shrinking as carriers continue to try and stimulate airline activity according to a benchmarking study done by Business Travel International Canada of over 150 of its corporate travel clients.

While fewer Hong Kong citizens took overseas holiday in this year, most likely as a result of the SARS outbreak in the early part of this year, those who did travel with greater sophistication than before according to a survey conducted in the two public days of ITE Hong Kong 2003 (Sept 27 - 28, 2003), the annual International Travel Expo held recently in HKCEC.

International air traffic could only drop one percent below the level reached in 2002 if the current trend pointing to a slow-burn recovery proves right, according to a report issued by the International Air Transportation Association (IATA).