Following the establishment of an embassy in Brazil last year, the Jamaican Government is indicating that it is moving post-haste to ensure that the country is able to capitalize on tourism and investment opportunities served up by the South American nation.

The number of tourists to Dominican Republic climbed in July 4% over 2012 and is expected to continue rising until yearend, with more than US$4.7 billion in revenue. Tourism deputy minister Fausto Fernandez provided the figures Wednesday.

With a rise in number of travelers from Chile and Brazil, the flow of tourists from the Southern Cone countries to Cuba now exceeds 100 percent, reflecting the growing interest of these markets in the Caribbean island, official statistics reflect.

Increased frequency of flights by European airlines and Copa’ Airlines to and from Tocumen International have helped boost tourist visits to Panama by 4% in the first six months of the year. Some 1.1 million tourists, mostly from South America and Europe contributed $1.212 billion to the economy an increase of 10.5% over the same period in 2012